Michael J. Fox on Seven-Year ‘Tailspin’ After Parkinson’s Diagnosis: ‘I Wasn’t There for My Family’
What To Know
- Michael J. Fox revealed he struggled privately for seven years after his Parkinson’s diagnosis, feeling absent from his family and turning to alcohol before going public.
- He credits openly sharing his diagnosis and focusing on mental health as a turning point, leading him to embrace advocacy and establish the Michael J. Fox Foundation, which has raised over $2.5 billion for Parkinson’s research.
- Fox discusses his personal journey, family, and career—including roles in Family Ties and Back to the Future—in his new memoir, Future Boy.
While today, Michael J. Fox is outspoken about his experience with Parkinson’s disease and a high-profile advocate for awareness of the illness, he recently revealed that it took a lot of work to get there. He kept his diagnosis a secret for about seven years and during that time, he has now admitted he had some huge struggles. He shared in an appearance on The View, “People think I got diagnosed, and I said, ‘okay, let’s cure this disease.’ I got diagnosed, I went into a serious tailspin and really had a hard time. My family, I kind of wasn’t there for them and I was drinking a lot and just bad.”
He continued, “Seven years later, I worked it out. I really studied it and really thought about the mental health aspect of having a disease like that … Seven years later I came out and told the public that I had it and the response was too great and I thought, this is a great opportunity. I have this chance to do this in life to make a difference so I wanted to seize it.”
Universal Pictures/Everett Collection
Fox has since created the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research and has raised over $2.5 billion for the cause. He is now opening up even more about his journey in a new memoir called Future Boy.
In the memoir, he looks back on his life and career including some of his biggest roles in projects such as Family Ties and Back to the Future. He shared about the book, according to ABC News, “I think there’s also something about time and about family and about what we mean to each other.”
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