Last June 9 Michael J. Fox turned 60 years old turned into an example of fight and courage. And it is that in 1990 the person in charge of giving life to Marty McFly of Return to the future He woke up one morning noticing that the little finger on his left hand was trembling and, just a few months later, he had to cope with the diagnosis of early-onset Parkinson’s.
Although the interpreter now lives retired from acting, with his wife Tracy Pollan (whom he met in 1982 when they were filming together Family entanglements), this disease changed the existence of this Canadian forever. Nevertheless, He has never given up and, in fact, has just taught a lesson in how to cope with the fear of death.
Since he was diagnosed with the disease, Michael J. Fox kept working in supporting or sporadic roles in series such as Boston Legal, The good wife, The good fight and Scrubs until In November 2020, he announced that he was permanently retiring from acting because he had lost his short-term memory and could no longer memorize the scripts.
Now, despite the fact that his physical and cognitive deterioration prevents him from developing his work in front of the lights, the truth is that the actor not only continues to turn to the most disadvantaged through his charity organization, but, in addition, he keeps wasting sensitivity with his life lessons. And it is that, despite the fact that the world of Michael J. Fox collapsed with the dreaded diagnosis, to the point that he ended up taking refuge in alcohol, Over time he learned to live with the disease and face death.
What’s more, in 2018 fate had prepared another bittersweet surprise for him since he was diagnosed with a tumor in the spinal cord that prevented him from walking and that, as can be seen in his latest statements, made him change his chip definitely and practice your innate optimism. Thus, in a recent interview with AARP, a magazine that deals mainly with problems affecting middle-aged people, The actor has returned to comment on the disease that changed his life forever (and which he made public in 1998) but that has not managed to take away his gratitude.
“I am very frank with people about cures. When they ask me if they will free me from Parkinson’s disease in my life, I say: I am 60 years old and science is difficult. Then no”, said the veteran actor at the same time that he pointed out that “I am really a happy man. I don’t have a morbid thought in my head, I’m not afraid of death. Absolutely”.
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And here comes his lesson on how to cope with the fear of death since the passing of his father-in-law put his own mortality in perspective. “But when I walked through that darkness, I also had a glimpse of my father-in-law, who had passed away and had always expressed gratitude, acceptance, and trust. I began to notice things I was grateful for and how other people responded to difficulties with gratitude. I came to the conclusion that gratitude makes optimism sustainable “added the Hollywood star showing that his unstoppable optimism is deeply rooted in the sense of gratitude he feels each day for life.
And it is that gratitude has been the weapon that has highlighted their ability to move forward: And if you think you have nothing to be grateful for, keep looking. Optimism. It is not something you receive. Don’t wait for things to go well and then be grateful. You have to behave in a way that with gratitude also comes optimism“.
In sum, for Michael J. Fox, who will be honored this December by AARP for his awareness raising through his charity, optimism is anchored in gratitude. While his days as an actor are over, his drive to inspire others remains more alive than ever. Because while other people underestimate the power of optimism, he makes this attitude his best weapon.
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Michael J. Fox gives a lesson on how to cope with the fear of death