Actor Michael J. Fox’s wife, actress Tracy Pollan, opened up about coping with his Parkinson’s disease.
In a recent interview with Page Six, Pollan, 63, spoke about trying to remain positive amid her husband’s health battle.
“I don’t think you need to feel the pressure (sic) be optimistic all the time. Because it’s hard. Life is hard,” she said.
However, Pollan, who has been married to the “Back to the Future” star since 1988, noted the importance of putting “one foot in front of the other” and leaning “on family and friends for support.”
In an interview with Town & Country published on Nov. 2, Cam Neely, former hockey player for the Boston Bruins and a close friend of Pollan and Fox, gave the “Family Ties” actress credit for how she has handled her husband’s diagnosis.
“Everybody says ‘in sickness and in health,’ but sometimes it’s not that easy,” he shared.
He continued, “Everybody thinks about what Mike goes through, but one can only imagine what Tracy goes through. You can just tell how much she loves him, but one thing about Tracy, she’s a strong, tough woman, and doesn’t put up with any BS.”
Fox, 62, got candid about his mortality. He was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, a brain disorder that affects the nervous system, in 1991.
“One day I’ll run out of gas,” he shared. “One day I’ll just say, ‘It’s not going to happen.”
He continued, “’I’m not going out today.’ If that comes, I’ll allow myself that.”
Fox further emphasized he isn’t afraid to die.
“I’m 62 years old. Certainly, if I were to pass away tomorrow, it would be premature, but it wouldn’t be unheard of. And so, no, I don’t fear that,” he said.
When asked what his fears were, Fox responded, “Anything that would put my family in jeopardy.”