By Gavin Boyle
Michael J. Fox’s wife, Tracy Pollan, doesn’t believe her husband’s struggle with Parkinson’s had a major impact on their children, though it did allow them to become more compassionate.
“I do think that growing up with a parent who has a health challenge, it just brings out an empathy and protection naturally, and they’ve always been like that,” Pollan told Page Six while at Fox’s annual “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Cure Parkinson’s” Gala.
She also revealed that having supportive children meant everything to Fox as he dealt with the disease throughout their childhood.
Related: How Michael J. Fox and His Wife Balance Family, Work and Parkinson’s
“Michael was diagnosed before the girls were born and very, very early into Sam’s life, so it’s kind of all they know really. And they’re just incredibly supportive. They’re very helpful to me. I lean on them a lot,” Pollan said. “[Parkinson’s] is very difficult for the family, for the caregivers, and obviously for the patient, so I think it’s also important to acknowledge that, and acknowledge that it’s not just all sort of easy. And it’s hard on [the kids], but they show up and they’re there for us.”
Fox was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 1991 at the age of 29 and went public with the diagnosis in 1998. Since then, he has devoted much of his time and effort towards raising funds to research the disease and search for a cure. In less than 30 years, his foundation has raised over $2 billion for medical research.
“When I was diagnosed, it was like a drunk driving test,” Fox said in 2023 when explaining how research has impacted the disease. “Now we can say, ‘You have this protein, and we know that you have Parkinson’s.’ It opens the gates for pharmaceutical companies to come in and say, ‘We’ve got a target and we’re going to dump money into it,’ and when they dump money into it, good things happen.”
Unfortunately, the progressive disease has started to take a toll on Fox, and in 2020, he was forced to take a major step back from acting. He will, however, return to the small screen next year through Apple TV+’s SHRINKING, where he will portray a character with Parkinson’s. Fox previously shared how freeing it was to play a character where he did not have to hide his disease.
“It was the first time ever I got to show up on set, and I didn’t have to worry about am I too tired or coughing or anything,” he said. “I just do it. I was really good, because for the moments when I say, ‘I’m not going to be able to do this,’ then I say, ‘Well, I’ll just deal with how I can’t do it in the scene.’ And you get through it.”
“I tend to live on the edge of my energy,” Fox later added. “I just feel I have to. It’s a tradeoff. I want to be around for everything. I want to be active at everything, keep working, keep my partnerships going, my good friends, and enjoy my time with my family. And it’s all good; it’s so much better than it could be.”
It is amazing to see how Fox has continued to live a meaningful and fulfilling life even after struggling with the disease starting at such an early age. Surely much of this success can be attributed to his kids, who have supported him throughout it all.
Read Next: Why Michael J. Fox Returned to Acting After a 5-Year Break
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