For Fox, 2018 was the beginning of the most difficult stage of his life. He underwent spinal surgery to remove a tumor, but the difficulties did not stop there…
In 1991, the life of Michael J. Fox changed forever. A few months after the release of the third film of the highly successful “Back to the Future” trilogy, a neurologist, who had visited the actor after muscle pains, diagnosed Parkinson’s.
Fox was then 30 years old and in the prime of his career. Since then, he has lived a more or less normal life, with periods of greater difficulty than others, while in 2020 he decided to retire for good. In an interview with “People”, Fox stated that the past year was one of the most difficult.
In his recent book, his fourth edition, titled No Time Like the Future: An Optimist Considers Mortality, Fox recounts that 2018 was the beginning of the most difficult phase of his life. He underwent spinal surgery to remove a tumor and shortly thereafter broke his left arm.
However, as he stated to “People”, the past year was even more difficult. His illness worsened and with it came new problems for the actor. “I broke my arm, then my shoulder, my elbow and other organs in my body. I am 61 years old and I feel older than my age.”
Additionally, in September, Fox’s mother died at the age of 92. “It’s been a struggle, but I’m happy,” he said in the interview. “I say this because I hope that at some stage in life, people can find happiness despite what they go through”
Despite the fact that Parkinson’s affects Fox’s movement, those closest to him deny that the disease is progressing faster.
A microbe that stuck to his broken arm after surgery left the limb “useless” and caused balance problems and more and more falls, which took a toll on his emotional state. “I was never an eccentric guy, but I became very eccentric and curmudgeonly with people,” he said. “I try to nip it in the bud. I always think of those who help me and work with me. And I often say to them: “Whatever I say, imagine that I said ‘please’ at the beginning and ‘thank you’ at the end.”
Fox also recounts the support he’s received from his wife of 34 years, Tracy Pollan, and his four children, ages 21 to 33. “My younger children have never known me without the disease.”
Slowly, Fox recovers from his recent injuries, which has given him a more cheerful outlook on life. “My arm feels good. Life is interesting. He offers you these things. The whole mission is: Don’t fall down. So whatever works to keep me from falling, whether it’s a walker or a wheelchair, a cane, a belt around my waist that holds me up, I use them.”
In 2000, the actor created the Michael J. Fox Foundation, to research Parkinson’s disease and try to find a cure for the disease, while helping people who suffer from it like himself. So far, the initiative has raised $1 billion.
Read the News today and get the latest news.
Follow Skai.gr on Google News and be the first to know all the news.
With a wealth of experience honed over 4+ years in journalism, I bring a seasoned voice to the world of news. Currently, I work as a freelance writer and editor, always seeking new opportunities to tell compelling stories in the field of world news.
