Michael J. Fox has been battling Parkinson’s disease for 33 years, but thanks to his family, he’s thriving.
Videos by InspireMore
The Back to the Future star made a rare public apperance for the Michael J. Fox Foundation’s A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Cure Parkinson’s gala on November 16th. While there, he shared a health update.
“I’m feeling great,” he told ET. “…My tremors are going down; I’m feeling a lot calmer; I feel a lot better; I feel stronger.”
While Michael admitted that he’s more “tired” than usual, he said his wife, Tracy Pollan, 64, and four children, Sam, 35, Aquinnah, 29, Schuyler, 29, and Esme, 23, “keep him going.”
Michael J. Fox Founded His Foundation To “Raise Some Hell” For Others Suffering From Parkinson’s
Michael J. Fox was only 29 when he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s. The progressive nerve disorder affects movement, speech, and mental health. Because of the symptoms, the actor retired from his career and suffered years of depression and alcoholism. But eventually, he found peace and became an advocate for treatment and a cure.
“You eventually come to a place where you go, ‘I can do this.’ This is just the way it is,” he told Willie Geist in 2020. It’s something that happened to me. It’s not something I’m suffering from. It’s my reality. I find that the partner of gratitude is acceptance and surrender.”
The Michael J. Fox Foundation has funded over $2 billion in research since it launched in 2000.
“They didn’t have money. They didn’t have a voice,” he said of others suffering from Parkinson’s while talking to CBS Mornings in 2023. “And I thought I could step in for these people and raise some hell. It’s not a cure. But it’s a big spotlight on where we need to go and what we need to focus on so we know we’re on the right path, and we’re very proud.”
This story’s featured image is by Taylor Hill/WireImage via Getty.
Want to be happier in just 5 minutes a day? Sign up for Morning Smile and join over 455,000+ people who start each day with good news.