Michael J. Fox announced he had Parkinson’s Disease twenty years ago. Since that time much has changed for the “Family Ties” actor. His health has deteriorated, but he has had victories in his fight against it as well.
After finally accepting the fact that he had the disease, Fox went public in 1998. He wanted to make something positive out of the terrifying diagnosis, so he created the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s research.
Twenty years after his diagnosis, Fox has provided an update on his health to AARP. Just average things we do every day are a challenge as his Parkinson’s progresses. Fox details one of those moments with his wife, Tracy Pollan, in an interview:
“Just the other morning. I come into the kitchen. Oh, good, coffee. I’m gonna get some! No, wait — I’m gonna get some for Tracy — who’s at the table with the paper. I pour a cup — a little trouble there. Then I put both hands around the cup. She’s watching. ‘Can I get that for you, dear?’ ‘Nah, I got it!’ Then I begin this trek across the kitchen. It starts off bad. Only gets worse. Hot java’s sloshing onto my hands, onto the floor …… And Tracy’s watching calmly, going, ‘Darling, why don’t you [emphatic expletive] let me get it?’ ‘I’m almost there, babe!’ Of course, by the time I reach the table, the cup’s all but empty. ‘Here’s your coffee, dear — enjoy!‘”
When Fox first announced his diagnosis, he got a lot of support from people in the Parkinson’s community who reached out to him. Muhammed Ali’s call particularly inspired him. Ali had already been suffering from Parkinson’s for years at the time.
“Muhammad Ali called me at home,” Fox told AARP. “And in this raspy, paper-thin voice, he said, ‘Aahhhhh … Michael, now that you’re in it, we’ll win this fight.’ What could I say? Sitting there alone listening to Muhammad Ali, this giant — I was welling up, almost openly weeping.”
In the fall of 2017, Fox sat down with Jane Pauly to discuss his illness and how he copes with it. The actor was very honest when speaking about his symptoms in the video below.
Fox is currently recovering from spinal surgery he had earlier this week for a condition unrelated to Parkinson’s. The actor refuses to let health issues dictate his outlook on life.
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Source: Faith Tap
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