Michael J. Fox talked about the most challenging period in his life and his recovery afterward.
The actor once declared, “Now the whole mission is: Don’t fall down.”
Michael’s children help him deal with the hate.
Besides being famous for his iconic role in the “Back to The Future” franchise, Michael J. Fox was also well-known for being an optimist. After being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, he also became an activist.
He’s spent most of his life building awareness about the illness. In late October 2022, Michael was interviewed by People magazine, where he also posed for a photoshoot and entertained the crew.
Despite his struggles of living with the diagnosis, which could probably dampen anyone’s mood, the star was able to play air guitar. as he posed! The publication noted how the actor was in a “playful mood” that day in New York, with him stating:
“I’m rocking and rolling.”
Things haven’t always been smooth for Michael, who chronicled “the worst year of his life” in his 2020 memoir. The actor’s health issues began in 2018 when he had a dangerous spinal-cord surgery and needed a procedure to remove a tumor.
He then suffered a broken left arm before all went well as he recovered and went on a safari to Africa with his actress wife, Tracy Pollan, and their four children. In 2021, the star faced more health problems, with him confessing how worse it got, saying:
“I broke my cheek, then my hand, then my shoulder, had a replacement shoulder put in and broke my [right] arm, then I broke my elbow. I’m 61 years old, and I’m feeling it a little bit more.”
The actor’s diagnosis affected his movements, but those close to him explained that his injuries didn’t mean the disease progressed more quickly. After breaking his hand, Michael got an infection after surgery.
Being unable to use his hand temporarily led to his issues with balancing and falls. The star admitted that the painful incidents dampened his positive outlook, and he got “cranky and short” with people despite not being that person.
However, when he noticed his mood changes, he tried stopping them. He thought of his aides and how he’d often told them that whatever he said, they should imagine him saying “please” at the start and “thank you” at the end.
Michael asked for the absorption of the idea of him possibly saying those words if he’d been his usual self despite him not having done that. However, he did note when he didn’t tell them and apologized.
Recovering lifted him emotionally as he explained how he’d just started healing from his last injury, with his arm feeling great. He said life was interesting and noticed how it dealt him things, but his mission was simple:
“Don’t fall down. So whatever works to not fall down.”
Luckily for his wife, even when facing his most challenging time, Pollan described him as one of the kindest people he’d ever met. The actress, who’d been married to Michael for 34 years in October 2022, credited his upbringing for how he “almost always” looked at situations and those involved.