Michael J Fox - A Lucky Man

If you grew up in the 1980’s like I did, you will remember the sitcom Family Ties, and the blockbuster Back to the Future movies. If not, you might have watched the Spin City TV series in the 1990s. Michael J. Fox starred in each, but disappeared from our screens after the fourth season of Spin City finished in American in May 2000. You may have wondered why he was no longer starring in the hit sitcom that revived his acting career after a number of Hollywood movie flops – a puzzling development. Lucky Man is Michael’s story about his early acting career and the effect that being diagnosed with early onset Parkinson’s disease had on not only his career, but his family and his outlook on life.




This is a candid look into the life of a very private person. Unlike today’s celebrities who strive to be on the front cover of every magazine and having their personal life displayed for all to see, Michael J. Fox took great pains to keep his personal life as private as possible. No magazine spreads for his marriage in 1988 to Tracy Pollan, and his four children are rarely seen in the limelight. So it is admirable the way in which he has taken up the gauntlet to be the face of Parkinsons Disease. Parkinsons is a disease that affects the older part of the population, usually being diagnosed between 50 and 60 years of age.  Michael was 30 when he was diagnosed which puts him in the rare group of less than 10% who are under 40 when they are diagnosed. This group tend to keep their symptoms hidden for as long as they can in order to protect the welfare and finances of their families. As Michael puts it, fear of being marginalised and misunderstood – stigmatised – is prevalent amongst the younger people who suffer from the disease and loss of their job is a very real possibility when employers are made aware of the physical issues that accompany their disease. As a celebrity and already set up financially for the future, Michael recognised that he could do more than most.

This is not a depressing book despite the subject matter. Michael J. Fox tells his story in an uplifting way, and as he says, the ten years between being diagnosed and writing the book have been some of the happiest of his life. The diagnosis made him take stock of his life and the excesses that came with the success he was enjoying. In his eyes, he is a lucky man.

Lucky Man is well written and I enjoyed the insight into the world of television. Most of all I found his humility and optimism something we should all aspire to as this is someone who seems to have everything, but has to deal with a life crisis just like any one else. I picked up his new book , Always Looking Up: The Adventures of an Incurable Optimist, which was released last year, at the bookshop yesterday and I am looking forward to reading the latest in his journey.