Michael J. Fox explains why he refused to hide Parkinson’s diagnosis

Michael J. Fox has opened up about the emotional toll his Parkinson’s disease diagnosis has taken on his wife, Tracy Pollan, saying the journey has been especially difficult for her as the condition continues to evolve.

The Back to the Future star, who was diagnosed with young-onset Parkinson’s disease in 1991 at the age of 29, revealed that going public with his condition in 1998 was a decision he felt compelled to make despite the challenges it brought to his family.

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Fox admitted that the experience has been particularly hard on Pollan.

“It was hell on Tracy, it was really hard on her — and it still is because it’s always changing,” he said. “But I said to her, ‘I have to go all the way here. No half measures.’”

Fox explained that he ultimately chose transparency over privacy because he wanted to help remove the stigma surrounding Parkinson’s disease.

As he learned more about others living with the condition, he realised many people lacked the resources and support he had access to.

“I needed to normalize it,” he said, adding that he no longer wanted to hide his diagnosis out of vanity.

The actor also recalled being surprised by the positive reaction after sharing his diagnosis publicly, noting that many people living with Parkinson’s at the time rarely spoke openly about the disease.

Fox went on to establish The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research in 2000, which has since become the world’s largest nonprofit organisation dedicated to funding Parkinson’s drug development and research.

Fox and Pollan, who married in 1988 after meeting on the set of Family Ties, have four children together and have remained steadfast partners throughout his decades-long health journey.