BaywatchLifeguard Michael Newman Says Living with Parkinson's Brought Him 'Wisdom': 'Life Is Short' (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Michael Newman’s life changed in an instant when he wasdiagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2006.

By all accounts, he was a born athlete. Parkinson’s was never something that had been on his radar — until it was.

“This terminal disease has allowed me a lot of thinking time, which I maybe didn’t want, but it’s brought me wisdom,” Newman, 68, tells PEOPLE now, while discussing the new docuseriesAfter Baywatch: Moment in the Sunnow streaming on Hulu.

“My body has changed so slowly that I hardly notice it, yet I am constantly reminded that Parkinson’s has now become the center of my life.”

“Baywatch” actor Mike Newman.Michael Newman

Michael Newman

Newman was diagnosed at age 50, having previously told PEOPLE that “all those things that you thought you were going to do with your children and grandchildren, pictures we were going to take, all the plans I had… stopped.”

After Baywatch: Moment in the Sunhighlights Newman’s new normal, and what it’s been like for him to live with the disease for the last 18 years. He takes 10 medications a day, and he says that in the mornings, he often wakes up “jittery.”

Michael Newman in “Baywatch”.Fremantle Media/Shutterstock

Fremantle Media/Shutterstock

Before the diagnosis, Newman and his wife, Sarah, had planned to retire in Hawaii. He’d even built their dream home just two blocks from where spinoffBaywatch: Hawaiihad been filmed.

The couple, who have been married 36 years, share two grown children: son Chris and daughter Emily. They also have a 1-year-old granddaughter, Charlie.

The docuseries reveals that Newman’s son, Chris, is a lifeguard, just like his father before him, and once a week,Matt Felker,the project’s producer, used to take Newman surfing in Malibu “when he was a little more mobile” than he is now.

The two have forged a close friendship.

“He can’t walk, but he can swim,” says Felker in the series. “This guy is not gonna give up.”

Matt Felker and Mike Newman.Michael Newman

“Life is short. It is something I didn’t often give myself a chance to think about before my Parkinson’s diagnosis,” Newman tells PEOPLE. “Matt Felker, in the making of this documentary, has given me andotherBaywatchcast members a chance to tell our storiesas they truly reflect our real lives. This opportunity means a lot to me.”

AfterBaywatchended it’s run, Newman went back to being a full-time firefighter. He remains passionate about the call to duty.

“I hope this documentary sheds light on the heroism of the life-guarding profession and builds respect for the world-wide fraternity of men and women who consider it an honor to risk their lives each and every day to save others,” he says.

Newman also recognizes the importance of opening up about his journey with one of the most common neurodegenerative diseases (second only to Alzheimer’s,according to the Parkinson’s Foundation).

“I also hope that the telling of my personal story brings awareness to the importance of finding a Parkinson’s cure,” he says.

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After Baywatch: Moment in the Sunis streaming now on Hulu.

source: people.com