Since revealing that he has Parkinson’s disease, Michael J. Fox has been very vocal about raising awareness. Although he’s been quite open about his journey, the actor recently opened up about how it affected his wife, Tracy Pollan. During one of his latest interviews, the actor revealed that his publication about his illness had many repercussions for his wife. Read on to know more about the matter.
Michael J. Fox talks about going public with his Parkinson’s disease diagnosis
While speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, the veteran actor opened up about what it was like to go public with his diagnosis. However, he specifically talked about how everything affects life hereafter and that she put him through hell. He shared: “It was hell for Tracy, it was really hard for her, and it still is because she’s always changing, but I said to her, ‘I have to go this far.’ No half measures.”He also commented that he wanted to be out and proud of his diagnosis and walk lightly around other people. “I started to understand what it was like for these people who didn’t have the options or the options that I had, they didn’t have the connections and the reason to be optimistic. I needed to normalize it and be it all the time. I was like, ‘I don’t have to hide this. F*** vanity,'” added the actor.The actor also revealed that he was surprised by the kind of reception he got when he went public with his diagnosis, sharing that people suffering from the disease openly reacted to his statement. “I thought, ‘Well, f— you! I have Parkinson’s, and you’re celebrating it,’ I got it. People back then would never in a million years tell you they had Parkinson’s,” he shared.
Michael J. Fox talks about his return to acting
The veteran star had announced that she was taking a step back from acting during the Covid-19 pandemic. However, this year she returned to the silver screen with ‘Shrinking’, in which she played a Parkinson’s patient opposite Harrison Ford, who was dealing with Parkinson’s. Speaking about her return to acting, Fox shared, “[Ford] I was glad to share my experience with him as a character and help him do what he needed to do. He was so loving. I didn’t know what to expect from Harrison because he’s famously a stoic, cheeky guy, and he’s a real sweetheart.”
What is Parkinson’s disease?
HHH reports online that Parkinson’s disease is “a progressive condition that affects movement. It often starts with tremors, stiffness, or slowness. It happens when brain cells that make dopamine stop working over time. There is no cure, but medications and therapies can help control symptoms to improve daily life.” Describing the disease as common, the report also adds that “The disease is common. About 90,000 people in the U.S. are diagnosed every year. And it is estimated that between 1 and 1.5 million people are living with this disease.”
When was Michael J. Fox diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease?
The beloved actor was diagnosed with early-onset Parkinson’s disease in 1991, when he was just 29 years old. Years later, in 1998, he went public with his diagnosis and revealed that he had also founded a Research Foundation to raise awareness of the disease and find a cure. According to the report so far, it has raised about $3 billion for the Parkinson’s research foundation.