Change

At 65 Michael J. Fox shared a wish after living with Parkinson’s disease for 35 years. “I’d like to just not wake up one day. That’d be really cool. I don’t want it to be dramatic.” He wasn’t saying he wanted to give up on life. He was talking about the kind of ending he hoped for. Falls have already taken a serious toll on his body. He has broken his elbow, hand, arms, shoulder and cheekbone. One injury required a plate in his face. These weren’t accidents from movie stunts. They were ordinary moments that became risky because his body no longer always did what he wanted it to do. Fox was only 29 in 1991, newly married to actress Tracy Pollan, when doctors diagnosed him with early-onset Parkinson’s. For seven years he kept his diagnosis private. In 1998 he finally told the public. Tracy had married him in 1988. Together they built a family that eventually included their son Sam, twins Aquinnah and Schuyler, and their youngest daughter Esmé. In 2018 Fox underwent surgery to remove a benign tumor from his spine. The operation affected his ability to walk. More falls followed. His 2023 documentary *Still* showed viewers the bruises on his face. Even his beloved guitar became a reminder of what Parkinson’s had taken from him. Yet not every memory was filled with pain. In one moment he recalled standing with Tracy at a Vampire Weekend concert. As the band played “Harmony Hall,” Tracy danced beside him. Looking back he said, “I mean, there’s still a lot of people I love and a lot of people who love me, so where am I going?” During another conversation in 2023 he explained, “And if you can find something to be grateful for, then you can find something to look forward to, and you carry on.” While discussing death and the possibility of a peaceful ending, Fox was also promoting his book *Future Boy* and preparing to return to television through *Shrinking*. For now Michael J. Fox is still here, still surrounded by people he loves, and still making plans for tomorrow.