Michael J. Fox has had Parkinson's for half his life. But it was only two years ago that his iron optimism began to falter.
Actor Michael J. Fox (59) is not yet 60 years old, but he has been suffering from Parkinson's for half of his life. Despite this early stroke of fate, he did not let his zest for life and his optimism be taken away. At least not up to two more low blows, both of which happened in 2018, as Fox has now revealed in the cover story of the American "People" magazine.
At that time, a tumor was discovered on the spine of the "Back to the Future" star. "I was threatened with paraplegia if I hadn't had an operation," said Fox. An extremely risky operation, as the operation had to be performed directly on the star's spinal cord. "You had to be very careful with the removal so as not to cause more damage." Fortunately, the operation was successful, but Fox had to go into rehab for four months to learn to walk again.
"It doesn't get any deeper for me"
But just as he was fighting his way back to normal, Fox fell badly in his kitchen and broke his arm. "That was definitely my darkest moment," the 59-year-old recalls in an interview. "I freaked out. I leaned against the wall in my kitchen, waited for the ambulance and had the feeling, 'This is it, it doesn't get any deeper for me.' I questioned everything. (…) There was no sunny side to it, no positive perspective. Just regret and pain. "
Fox was tied to the bed again as a result of the fall. But instead of further despair, he used the time to go deep inside. He realized: "Optimism is rooted in gratitude." With this in mind, he finally learned to come to terms with his situation again and to keep in mind how many beautiful things life has to offer. Since then, he has concentrated on spending even more time with his wife Tracy Pollan and their four children. "I have the optimism of a 60-year-old man," the star summarized.