Michael J. Fox’s Personal Battle

For more than 25 years, Michael J. Fox has been making America laugh. This Canadian-born actor made a name for himself in the early ’80s as Alex P. Keaton, a conservative teen with hippie parents, on the hit show Family Ties. Then, he blasted into theaters as the star of blockbuster movies like Back to the Future.

In 1991, at the height of his career, Michael’s life took an unexpected turn. He was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, a chronic neurological disorder that can cause debilitating tremors.

At first, Michael kept his diagnosis private. He went on to produce and star in the comedic series Spin City. Then, as his symptoms worsened and became harder to disguise, Michael went public with his battle.

In 1998, Michael spoke out about his disease and the need for increased Parkinson’s research. Since then, this father of four has become the voice for millions of chronically ill Americans and a vocal proponent of stem cell research.

Dr. Oz says people suffering from this disease can sometimes manage their uncontrollable tremors with medication…but not always.

“How much medication did you have to take in preparation for today?” Oprah asks.

“A boatload,” Michael says.

This entry was posted on 2. April 2009 at 17:08 and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site.