In 1991, Michael J. Fox was one of the most well-known people in show business. Millions of people all over the world know him from the “Back to the Future” movies and the TV show “Family Ties.” But despite his success and fame in Hollywood, he was about to face the hardest fight.
Fox was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease when he was 29 years old. He married Tracy Pollan, an actress he met when they both worked on the 1980s TV show “Family Ties.”
“Because of this, her husband left her soon after they married. The last time we cried together about it was when I told her what I was starting to understand. We haven’t cried about Parkinson’s since then. We just got on with our lives and dealt with it. The first time we both started crying, Fox told Nate Burleson’s co-host on “CBS Mornings.”
Fox said neither of them knew what Parkinson’s disease was and that they would travel through a land that had never been seen before.
“We didn’t know what to think. We didn’t know what would happen. We had no idea. No one knew when it would start to affect more and more people. Fox said, “He had more signs and symptoms than I did, like a pinky finger that twitched.” But all the doctors did was say that it was going to happen.
Fox hid the fact that he had Parkinson’s disease from the public for another seven years.
Fox hid the fact that he had Parkinson’s disease from the public for another seven years. Even though research and therapy have come a long way, there is no cure for this brain disease that gets worse over time and causes many people to lose the ability to move and speak.
The actor, who is now 60, quit acting after more than 20 years and many roles that let him openly talk about his illness on set.
He is also a well-known actor and a successful writer. He has written four books that have sold a lot of copies. His most recent book, a memoir called “No Time Like the Future: An Optimist Considers Mortality,” just came out in paperback. He is also the public face of the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research.
Fox said he has trouble doing some of the most basic things in life, like going out to eat with his family, but he is thankful for the time he spends with them.
Even though I use a wheelchair sometimes, it still stinks. I find it hard to go to restaurants and climb stairs so that I can eat dinner with my family.
“Even though I use a wheelchair sometimes, it still stinks. I find it hard to go to restaurants and climb stairs so I can eat dinner with my family. But after that, my wife, three kids, son, and I, along with a few friends, are all there. Fox said, “It’s just like, “Wow, that’s great.”
Even though he knows there are challenges ahead, he is smart enough to know what he can do and can’t.
“Who am I to try to make them feel better? I wondered. Who am I to try to make people think everything will be okay? Who am I to tell other people to “be happy?” asked Fox. “You should go there, look around, and ask yourself, “Is it just what I say? Or do I think that? If I believe it, is it something I can live with? And if I can live it, is it fair for me to ask, tell, or force others to see it the same way?”
Fox says Parkinson’s disease is a “heavy thing,” but he still has hope.
“And I did feel that the public persona of Mr Optimist had a lot of weight on me. I am still Mr Optimist, too. Even though it was dark, I had a feeling I would go back to that place at some point, he said.