Tracy Pollan is opening up about how her husband Michael J. Fox’s Parkinson’s diagnosis has shaped their family’s life.
Speaking at the Michael J. Fox Foundation’s annual gala in New York City, the 65-year-old actress said their four children have grown up with their father’s condition from the very beginning.
Pollan explained that Fox was diagnosed before their twin daughters were born and when their eldest, Sam, was still a baby. “It’s kind of all they know,” she said of Sam, 36, and daughters Aquinnah and Schuyler, 30, and Esmé, 24.
Despite that, she said the kids remain “incredibly supportive,” stepping in to help her and staying close as a family.
While she praised Fox’s trademark optimism, Pollan stressed that the reality of Parkinson’s is still “a huge challenge” for everyone involved.
“It’s very difficult for the family, for the caregivers, and obviously for the patient,” she said. “It’s not easy. But they show up, and they’re there for us.”
Fox founded his Parkinson’s research foundation in 2000. This year marks the organisation’s 25th anniversary.