After being married for 36 years to wife Tracy Pollan, Michael J. Fox knows a thing or two about the key to a successful relationship. The “Back to the Future” actor, who attended the Michael J. Fox Foundation’s Country Thing Happened on the Way to Cure Parkinson’s event with Pollan, discussed his partnership with his wife and how she’s helped him face some of the most difficult challenges this past year.
Fox, who married Pollan in 1988, told People of his marriage, “We just make it up as we go along. It’s interesting, being married for 36 years. Yeah. I mean, the joke is you say I’ve been married 36 years, and it’s been the best 36 years of my life, so think about that one for a second.” He added, “But it’s great. It’s great having a partner and having someone who knows you in a [certain] way when everyone in the world thinks they know you. [Only] one person actually knows you.” The duo initially met in 1985 after Pollan was cast in a guest role on “Family Ties,” Fox’s popular sitcom. They wed three years later, in July 1988 and share four children.
Fox, who has been living with Parkinson’s disease for more than 30 years, said that while this past year has brought a lot of “physical challenges,” he’s grateful for his family and team for helping him “go beyond” those challenges. He told the outlet, “There’s been a lot of challenges. A lot of physical challenges these days have been different bits, but just that I had a lot of stuff. I had a movie, a documentary and a lot of obligations. A lot of things have been a lot of effort. And so it was a tough year, but a good year, in each of the challenges [that] came up.”
Fox added, “With the help of family, with the help of people that I work with, I’ve been able to meet those challenges and go beyond them and do new things. And the whole thing is just keep having new experiences, whether it’s experiences that push forward, what we’re trying to do and our mission with foundation.” In November, the actor – who was first diagnosed with the progressive brain disorder in 1991 – opened up about his Parkinson’s battle. “The positivity is really sincere. I really feel it, and it’s genuine,” he told “CBS Mornings.” “But it’s hard-fought, and it’s hard-won, I should say.”
“We can find ways to just give ourselves a break, give ourselves credit for getting through life on life’s terms. And, in order to do that, you have to stop and say, ‘It’s not that bad. It’s not that bad.’ They say the absence of fear is faith.” After retiring from acting, Fox dedicated himself to the Michael J. Fox Foundation, a nonprofit he co-founded in 2000 to help find a cure. The foundation has nearly $2 billion worth of research and has led to over a dozen clinical trials and therapeutic programs.