Alan Alda has been one of the most beloved actors in Hollywood ever since his days appearing in the television show “M.A.S.H.” Americans everywhere fell in love with Alda due to the way he portrayed combat doctor Hawkeye Pierce on the legendary television series. That’s why so many people were heartbroken this week when Alda said that he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease three and a half years ago.

“The reason I want to talk about it in public is that I was diagnosed three and a half years ago and I’ve had a full life since then,” Alda said in an interview with “CBS This Morning.”

“I’ve acted, I’ve given talks, I help at the Alda Center for Communicating Science at Stony Brook. I started this new podcast,” Alda continued. “And I noticed that – I had been on television a lot in the last couple of weeks talking about the new podcast – and I could see my thumb twitch in some shots and I thought, it’s probably only a matter of time before somebody does a story about this from a sad point of view, but that’s not where I am.”

Alda explained that he wanted to reveal his diagnosis on his terms so that people would know that he is still the same guy. He does not want his fans to be sad for him at all.

“I asked for the scan because I thought I might have it. I read an article in the New York Times that indicating that if you act out your dreams, there’s a good chance that might be a very early symptom when nothing else shows,” Alda explained. “I was having a dream that someone was attacking me and I threw a sack of potatoes at them, but what I was really was doing was throwing a pillow at my wife.”

Alda said that he has been lucky so far in that his symptoms have not been severe. The actor only experiences a few twitches here and there, and he has even recently started taking boxing lessons to keep his hands busy.

“It’s common for us all to go to the worst thought,” he said. “But this is a disease that’s different for everyone who has it.”

Alda is now encouraging others to find how best they can adapt to the disease.

“You know how I look at it? It’s like a puzzle to be solved. What do I have to adapt to carry on a normal life. I enjoy solving puzzles,” Alda said. “You find a way to do it.”

While we’re sad to see that Alda is going through this, we’re glad to see he’s found a positive way to look at his situation! Watch Alda’s full interview below, and please keep him in your thoughts and prayers!