Bill Nye Shares Family’s Ataxia Struggle: ‘Every Time You Lose Your Balance, You Think This Is the End’

> A neurological condition that starts in the cerebellum and causes trouble with coordinating movement, Ataxia manifests with physical symptoms, the beloved “Science Guy” explains. 

> “You have trouble keeping your balance, you have trouble snapping your fingers — any fine motor movement,” Nye, 68, tells PEOPLE. “The other really pronounced one that they all complain about is trouble swallowing.”

> Because some of the early symptoms can be dismissed as clumsiness, Nye says, “You second-guess yourself all the time: Every time you lose your balance, you think, ‘Well, this is it, this is the beginning of the end, this beginning of this is how I’m gonna live from now on.’ ”