Michael J. Fox is fully aware of the toll Parkinson’s disease has taken on his wife, Tracy Pollan, over the years. The Back to the Future star opened up about how his wife of 35 years has stood by him amid his battle against this brain disorder during a segment on CBS Mornings.
“It’s been great for me; I don’t know how it is for her,” he told Nate Burleson via Entertainment Tonight. “I love Tracy, obviously, and she’s an amazing person and has gone through a lot. I realize she has a life separate from me having Parkinson’s, from me being Alex Keaton or Marty McFly, she’s a person. I think that’s why it’s gone OK.”
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62-year-old Fox met 63-year-old Pollan on the set of Family Ties; they married in 1988. The couple has four children: Sam, 34, twins Aquinnah and Schuyler, 28, and Esmé, 21. They celebrated their 35th wedding anniversary in July.
According to the Teen Wolf actor, he acknowledges that Pollan has kept her vow to him and will continue to do so. “She had indicated to me by saying in for better or for worse, in sickness and in health,” he said. “She was able to get me through it and go through it with me. And she has for 35 years.”
He added, “We knew the bus was coming and we knew it was going to hit, but we didn’t know how far away it was or how fast it was going.” Pollan has nevertheless remained a vocal proponent of Fox. “At any time, she would have been forgiven to say, ‘I’m just gonna step out.’ But she didn’t do that,” he said.
Although diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 1991, Fox remains optimistic despite the disorder’s debilitating effects. “The opposite of fear is faith,” he said.
“Positivity is really sincere, and I really feel good, and it’s genuine,” he said of facing difficult times. “But it’s hard fought and it’s hard won I should say. This fear, we can find ways to just give ourselves a break, give ourselves credit for getting through life, on life’s journeys. In order to do that, you have to stop and say, ‘It’s not that bad.’”
Despite the absence of a cure, Fox celebrates the recent advancements in research. “There’s not a cure, but it’s a big spotlight on where we need to go and what we need to focus on,” he said. “We know we’re on the right path.”
