Michael J. Fox 'stunned' after ending Parkinson's diagnosis secret
Michael J. Fox was honored with the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award at the 2026 Emmys and upon accepting his award, the actor made a heartwarming revelation.
Fox, who became a household name starring as Marty McFly in the Back to the Future trilogy, was bestowed the prestigious award for his work supporting Parkinson's disease research.
The 65-year-old received a life-changing Parkinson's diagnosis at the height of his career, when he was just 29 years old, but chose to keep the condition a secret for many years.
Parkinson's is a long-term neurological condition that worsens over time and affects the brain and nervous system.
Advert
The most common symptoms include a tremor, stiffness and slowed movement, but the condition can involve so much more than that.
Fox first sought medical help when he began experiencing symptoms like soreness and a twitch in his little finger while filming Doc Hollywood in 1991 and was told he would have just 10 good working years left following his diagnosis.
Struggling with this prognosis, the actor began drinking heavily to numb his reality, before getting sober a year later.
While on the Emmy Awards' stage, Fox revealed the 'uplifting realization' he had after speaking publicly about living with Parkinson's for the first time, seven years after his symptoms began.
As per Fox News, he said: "Initially, I kept my Parkinson's diagnosis a secret. I worried that it would affect my work and my relationship with audiences.
"Would they laugh if they knew I was sick? And then I was stunned by the support I got. The support from all of you. It was so uplifting.
"It made me feel like I could keep doing this, and I hadn't lost what I do, and they couldn't take this away from me. And it's because you stood up for me, and I really appreciate it."
Fox thanked his wife Tracy Pollan, and their four children, for their continued support and for all the sacrifices they've made throughout his 35-year illness.
Fortunately, the 65-year-old's career was far from over 10 years after his diagnosis and he continued acting for many years alongside setting up the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research in 2000.
Over the past two decades, the organization has become the world' largest non-profit funder for Parkinson's research, with Fox now hopeful they are 'close' to finding a cure for the condition.
The foundation has always focused on finding a cure for Parkinson's rather than simply on treatments to help with symptoms associated with the condition, with researchers determined to find treatments that will interfere with the underlying disease process.
Emma Rosemurgey