Michael J. Fox says he would have forgiven his wife Tracy Pollan if she had decided to “walk away” after 35 years of marriage while he battles Parkinson’s disease.
“She could have been forgiven at any time for saying, ‘I’m just going to get out,'” the 62-year-old actor said of his 63-year-old wife on CBS Mornings on Thursday. “But she didn’t do that.”
The Back to the Future star was 29 years old when he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 1991 and made the information public in 1998.
“I obviously love Tracy and she’s an amazing person and has been through a lot,” Fox said. “I realize that she lives a different life than me because I have Parkinson’s, because I’m Alex Keaton or Marty McFly, she’s a person. “I think that’s why everything turned out well.”
Fox said of her marriage: “She had hinted at it to me, for better or for worse, in sickness and in health. “She could get me through it and get through it with me. And it’s been that way for 35 years.’
The Latest: Michael J. Fox, 62, says he would have forgiven his wife Tracy Pollan, 63, if she had decided to walk away from their 35-year marriage while he battles Parkinson’s disease. He appeared on CBS Mornings on Thursday
The couple were pictured at an event in New York last June, a month before they celebrated their milestone anniversary
Fox and Pollan are parents to son Sam Michael (34), twin daughters Aquinnah Kathleen and Schuyler Frances (28) and daughter Esmé Annabelle (21).
On the CBS show, the Spin City star explained how Pollan has stayed by his side despite his health issues.
“We knew the bus was coming and we knew it was coming, but we didn’t know how far away it was or how fast it was going,” he said.
The couple celebrated their 35th wedding anniversary last July and celebrated the occasion on Instagram.
Fox, who also played Alex P. Keaton in Family Ties, captioned a carousel of shots: “35 years of laughing, living, listening and loving you, @tracy.pollan.” Thank you for everything . Forever yours, Mike.’
Pollan said on her account: “35 years!!!” Happy anniversary my darling. Here’s to many more wonderful adventures together. I couldn’t love you more.’
Fox told CBS that despite his health issues, he is making a concerted effort to remain optimistic.
“The positivity is really genuine,” he said. “I really feel it and it’s real. “But it’s hard fought and it’s hard won, I would say.”
The Teen Wolf actor shared more insight into how he and his spouse are moving forward during these difficult times.
Fox said on the show: “I obviously love Tracy and she’s an amazing person and has been through a lot.”
The Spin City star explained how Pollan has stayed by his side despite his health issues.
Fox said of Parkinson’s disease: “We knew the bus was coming and we knew it was going to hit, but we didn’t know how far away it was or how fast it was going.”
Fox and Pollan are parents to son Sam Michael (34), twin daughters Aquinnah Kathleen and Schuyler Frances (28) and daughter Esmé Annabelle (21).
“We can find ways to just give ourselves a break and give ourselves the honor of dealing with life on its terms,” he said. “And to do that, you have to stop and say, ‘It’s not that bad; “It’s not that bad”…They say the absence of fear is faith.”
In the fall of 2000, he founded the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, “dedicated to finding a cure for Parkinson’s disease through a heavily funded research agenda and ensuring the development of improved therapies for people suffering from Parkinson’s disease today.” .”’
According to the foundation, more than $1.75 billion has been raised for this purpose.
“Parkinson’s patients are the experts in what we have,” Fox said in a statement on the foundation’s website. “As patients, we have a responsibility to share our experiences – what works for us, what we respond to, what we can contribute to research.”
Fox was honored last year with an honorary Oscar, the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for his efforts to find a cure.