In situ observation of the catalytic activity of individual M-chymotrypsin enzymes reveals a novel pathway for spontaneous deactivation. Rather than deactivating abruptly in a one-step process, the enzyme seems to struggle for life; the activity decreases stepwise with intermittent inactive periods before deactivating irreversibly. During the active periods, dynamic disorder and memory effects are observed, originating from conformational fluctuations within the enzyme's structure.