Michael J. Fox’s roles in the 1980s TV show “Family Ties” and the movie franchise “Back to the Future” made him a well-known actor. In addition to his fame as a movie star, the actor, who is now past his prime and has retired, is also known for his work as an advocate for people with Parkinson’s disease.
Fox was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in the early 1990s after showing signs of the disease while filming “Doc Hollywood” in 1991. He has had the disease for decades.
After working for years to raise awareness of and money for research into the disease, the actor was recently given the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences 13th Annual Governors Award ceremony.
Fox never thought of himself as a victim, even though he had the disease for so long. Instead, he faced his problems head-on and used his foundation to raise more than a billion dollars. Woody Harrelson gave him the award and said that he did this even though Fox had had the disease for such a long time.
Harrelson said that Fox didn’t ask him to play the role of the disease advocate. He has been in a number of successful movies, but his performance in the role of the advocate is by far his best.
According to Harrelson:
Michael J. Fox sets the ultimate example of how to fight and how to live.
Fox was given the Oscar statuette during a long-standing ovation, and as he started to speak, he said that he might start shaking from excitement. In an emotional speech, he thanked Tracy Pollan, his wife of 34 years, for always being there for him since he was told he had cancer.
He looked like he couldn’t think of what to say for a moment, and then he finally said:
Tracy made it clear she was with me for the duration.
He said that even though Parkinson’s is a disease that can’t be cured, he sees it as a blessing in his life because it has helped him get through all the hard times he’s had since being diagnosed. After that, he brought his wife up to the stage and said he couldn’t believe he’d been standing there for so long.
His wife gave him a passionate kiss on the lips before they went back to their seats. Their twin children, Sam and Schuyler, and their other twin, Esme, were all there to see their father get the award.
Even though he was fighting the disease, his life with his wife went on.
Although Fox and Tracy have been married since 1988, the intensity of their love only seems to grow with the passage of time. Tracy has never left her husband’s side, even though she was diagnosed with the illness only three years into their marriage. She has been there for him through everything.
Fox remembers telling Tracy about his diagnosis and saying that they didn’t know what to expect while they waited for the results. All he remembers is Tracy not blinking. Tracy was his only constant memory during this time.
She has remained faithful to him and by his side throughout all of these years, and Fox is grateful that he is now able to live the best life possible because his wife and children continue to love and support him in the same way they did before.
My best life now is I enjoy my family so much,
says Fox.
Tracy and the kids are amazing. I know that sounds boring, it sounds like a fairy tale, but we’ve been married thirtysomething years, so we’ve got something figured out.
