How Michael J. Fox and His Wife Balance Family, Work and Parkinson’s

Published: November 18, 2025

By India McCarty

Michael J. Fox’s wife Tracy Pollan recently shared how she juggles family, work and her husband’s health.

“We just take it one day at a time, and it’s worked,” she told PEOPLE, pointing out that she recently starred in Hallmark’s HOLIDAY TOUCHDOWN: A BILLS LOVE STORY, while Fox is set to appear in Season 3 of SHRINKING.

Pollan also credited the couple’s children as major support systems, saying, “Michael was diagnosed [with Parkinson’s] 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.”

“It’s 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,” she continued. “And it’s hard for them, but they show up and they’re there for us.”

The family recently walked the red carpet together at this year’s “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Cure Parkinson’s” event, put on by the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research.

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“They’re so supportive and so great,” Fox told PEOPLE of his wife and kids, son Sam, 36, and daughters Esmé, 24, and Aquinnah and Schuyler, 30.

He added, “All these people are friends of mine, family, and it’s really great to see them, and I walk on the red carpet surprised to see them, and I think, ‘Well, why should I be surprised?’ They’ve always been there for me, and they continue to be for me, year after year.”

Fox was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 1991 but has never let the neurodegenerative disease slow him down. In addition to his tireless work to support those with Parkinson’s through his foundation, the BACK TO THE FUTURE actor has continued to work, appearing in projects like STUART LITTLE, SPIN CITY, THE GOOD WIFE and the upcoming ZOOTOPIA 2.

In a recent interview with Entertainment Tonight, the actor was asked what continues to give him hope day after day.

“I just wake up every day and I’m happy to get another set of downs, as they say in football,” Fox replied. “And keep pushing the ball. That’s what keeps me going. I get up every day and [I’ve got] work to do.”

Fox’s family is a strong support system for him as he continues to battle Parkinson’s.

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