Michael J. Fox Recalls Years of ‘Denial’ After Parkinson’s Diagnosis

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Actor Michael J. Fox, 61, star of “Back to the Future”, said that Parkinson’s disease was “a gift”. recognizes outstanding philanthropic efforts at the 12th annual Governors Awards on Saturday, July 19 in Los Angeles.

“It was a gift, as my friend George Stephanopoulos pointed out in a movie,” Fox said. “I refer to Parkinson’s as the gift I keep getting.”

In the speech, the actor said he dropped out of high school and moved from Canada to Hollywood where he found fame, fell in love and started a family before being diagnosed with Parkinson’s at age 29.

“I was told I only had ten more years to work. That was a lie. That’s what happened. The hardest part of my diagnosis was dealing with the certainty of the diagnosis and the uncertainty of the situation.”

He said that at first he just knew it was going to get worse with the disease. “The diagnosis was definitive, the course was indefinite and uncertain,” he said. 🇧🇷[Minha esposa Tracy Pollan ] made it clear that she was with me the whole time. But my son Sam didn’t know. He had no choice.”

The actor revealed that he spent seven years in denial, trying to understand everything. “The boy who left Canada convinced he could make anything happen, if only by working hard and believing, now had a daunting task ahead of him.”

Fox said he told very few people about the illness and they kept the secret. At this time, he said, various types of doctors helped him understand how his body and brain were reacting to the disease. “Finally, I felt I needed to tell everyone. I understood that it would have a huge impact on my career.”

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