by Elizabeth Grover
We may have been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, but in some ways we are lucky. The Parkinson’s community is lucky that a quite young, quite handsome, and quite well-known actor was also diagnosed with the same disorder and that he has been willing to lend his name, his fame, and his money to the cause of research for Parkinson’s disease.
This, of course, is Michael J. Fox who was diagnosed in 1991 at the age of 29. Fox has written three books that are memoirs, and they make for enjoyable and informative reading. As an actor he has worked with words and humor for years in a professional capacity, and it seems to have made him a writer of engaging prose (despite having dropped out of high school).
The books are: Lucky Man (2002), Always Looking Up (2009), and No Time Like the Future (2020) Each of these covers roughly ten years of his adult life, and the first book covers his childhood as well. Each book has a loosely expressed theme – a sort of “aha!” that came to him as he looked back on that part of his life. After the background of his upbringing, Lucky Man tells about Fox’s adjustment to his diagnosis of PD and his determination that he is a lucky man – lucky because he has a beautiful, loyal, and talented wife and because he can embrace the opportunities that Parkinson’s has given him.
The title Always Looking Up is a play on words because Fox is only 5'5", but it also refers to looking on the bright side or being optimistic. This book examines optimism and its significance in managing his chronic illness. Certainly the attitude of optimism can help you deal with a chronic disease almost more than anything else. You may not be able to change what happens to you, but you can change your reaction to it
Finally the third book (No Time Like the Future) relates his experiences with some serious medical problems (surgery for a tumor on his back and a shattered arm as a result of a fall) and discusses how these events tested his optimism.
Throughout these books, Michael J. Fox presents himself as a person who happens to have PD (or an actor who happens to have PD), but he does not let PD define him. We would all do well to remember this perspective and to keep in mind Fox’s attitude about his PD. For someone who has been diagnosed for over 30 years, he is pretty amazing.
These books are all available at the public library. No Time Like the Future is also available for loan at the PD bookshelf at Alpha Neuro Fitness, 800 E Ross Avenue.