Michael J. Fox’s family has been his superpower throughout his battle with Parkinson’s disease.
The actor attended the “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Cure Parkinson’s” event in New York City on Saturday, where he opened up about how his loved ones have remained devoted to him over the years.
With his wife, Tracy Pollan, the 64-year-old is the proud father of four: son Sam, 36, and daughters Aquinnah and Schuyler, 30, and Esmé, 24. Their unwavering love and support have given him the courage to embrace life with hope and resilience.
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“They’re so supportive and so great,” Fox gushed to People magazine.
“All these people are friends of mine, family, and it’s really great to see them, and I walk on the red carpet, surprised to see them, and I think, ‘Well, why should I be surprised?'” he also shared about his longtime pals in attendance.
“They’ve always been there for me, and they continue to be there for me year after year,” the “Back to the Future” star added.
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Fox was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 1991 at age 29 after developing a tremor in his pinky finger while filming “Doc Hollywood.” The tremor led to a consultation with a neurologist and the devastating diagnosis of early-onset Parkinson’s.
Parkinson’s disease, a degenerative brain disorder, affects the nervous system and mobility, according to the Mayo Clinic. Throughout his prolific acting career, Fox has found ways to work around his symptoms. The actor founded his nonprofit in 2000, which celebrated its 25th anniversary this year.
People magazine reported that the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research is the largest nonprofit funding Parkinson’s research in the world. It has endowed more than $2.5 billion to advance understanding of the disease in hopes of finding a cure.
Pollan told the outlet at the event that their children are “just incredibly supportive” of Fox. The couple married in 1988.
“Michael is so optimistic, which is wonderful and really helps him, but it’s really important to also understand that this is a huge challenge,” the 65-year-old shared.
“It’s very difficult for the family, for the caregivers and, obviously, for the patient. So, it’s important to acknowledge that and acknowledge that it’s not just all sorts of easy. It’s not easy. It’s hard for them, but they show up, and they’re there for us.”
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“Michael was diagnosed before the girls were born and very, very early in Sam’s life, so it’s kind of all they know,” Pollan said. “And they’re just incredibly supportive. They’re very helpful to me. I lean on them a lot.”
In October, Fox opened up about his future with the “mysterious” disease.
“There’s no timeline, there’s no series of stages that you go through — not in the same way that you would, say, with prostate cancer. It’s much more mysterious and enigmatic,” Fox told The Times.
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“There are not many people who have had Parkinson’s for 35 years,” Fox continued. “I’d like to just not wake up one day. That’d be really cool. I don’t want it to be dramatic. I don’t want to trip over furniture, smash my head.”
A doctor once told him acting would help him cope with the disease’s symptoms, The Times reported.
“It was helpful, to a point,” Fox said at the time. “And that’s [the point] where I break stuff. It’s absolutely incredible, the stuff I broke. In a three-year period, I broke my elbow, I broke my hand, I got a big infection in my hand, and I almost lost my finger.”
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At one point, Fox lost the ability to play the guitar he now keeps beside his office desk.
“It’s terrible,” he admitted. “I had all these little bones broken, and [they] got infected, and they had to cut the bones out because the bones got infected. I broke my other shoulder, had it replaced. I broke my cheekbone. I had a plate here. I’m missing something?”
“It has been just like a tragedy,” he added.
“I take it easy now,” Fox noted. “I don’t walk that much anymore. I can walk, but it’s not pretty and it’s a bit dangerous. So I just roll that into my life, you know — no pun intended.”
Fox first gained fame for his role in “Family Ties.” The actor received three Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe for his portrayal of Alex P. Keaton in the sitcom. While filming “Family Ties,” Fox landed the role of Marty McFly — one that would change the trajectory of his career.
“Back to the Future” gave Fox international fame. Fox attended a convention tied to the Robert Zemeckis-directed film a few years ago.
“I thought, well, I’ll do this for the fans,” he told The Times. “I realized — no, it wasn’t for them, it was for me.
“I wanted to express my gratitude to them. They’ve given me so much, my life is so amazing. The disease sucks, but … people don’t feel sorry for me. They don’t think I’m pathetic. They see me as — well, I couldn’t tell you how they see me, but I sense that they see me as a positive force.”
Fox hasn’t given up acting all these years later. He will appear in the upcoming third season of Apple TV+’s “Shrinking,” years after taking a step back from the big screen.
