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Memoir of Michael J. Fox
By
Joan Baum
 Safe
to say that if it were not for Michael J. Fox’s bold statement
before the press in September 1998 and subsequent appearances
in Congress and on T.V., Parkinson’s Disease (P.D.) would be not
so prominent a subject today or at the center of the controversy
surrounding stem cell research. (The “J,” by the way, was made
up to distinguish MJF the actor from another Michael Fox with
an Actors Equity card.) Simply put, what MJF did four years ago
was to make it all right for thousands of secret sufferers to
acknowledge this degenerative neurological disease. In a way,
Fox’s announcement was like Betty Rollin’s years ago about breast
cancer in her book, First You Cry – a breakthrough Lucky
Man is certain to encourage those who feel victimized by P.D.
to convert their fears to action and join the campaign for a way
to slow or stop the inevitable course of the disease. Of course,
Fox may have had no choice but to go public, since the tabloids
were already suggesting that his withdrawal from the phenomenally
successful “Spin City” and his slowdown in accepting more movie
roles pointed to a serious neurological disease. In fact, by 1998,
it had already been seven years that the now 37-year old actor
had been keeping his condition secret. That story and much more
is the subject of his inspiring memoir.
Lucky
Man has the odd distinction of probable appeal to two different
audiences:
1) younger fans who will revel in MJF’s recounting of how a hell-raising,
high school drop out from a working-class Canadian family became
a star; and 2) an older audience who will read the book, mainly
for the information it provides about diagnosing P.D. and learning
perhaps how to accept the inevitable. What links the parts is
Fox’s repeated moving tribute to his loving and supportive wife,
Tracy Pollan and their children, most of whom were born after
he learned he had P.D. Even he finds it ironic that the mischievous
star of the TV series Family Ties should finally embrace
family values. In truth, however, Tracy seems to have served him
well before the onset of the disease. This is a well written book
and there is no doubt that the voice is his. Although Fox entitles
the book Lucky Man, it is more than likely that what got
him through denial to resignation and acceptance, has less to
do with luck than with inner resources: humor, drive, and focus.
Luck might also be ascribed to his choice of wife, but in truth
his choice–and hers–would seem to reflect innate values and sound
intuition. It was Tracy who kept after him to look into why, one
hangover morning he can hardly recollect, he could not control
a sudden odd twitching in his left pinky.
Lucky
Man has much to recommend to that second readership–indeed,
perhaps, even to the younger first, since Fox himself came down
with the disease at the relatively rare young age of 30. Because
of his extraordinary book and efforts, P.D. is now as well known
as Alzheimer’s and ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease), an etiology it
partially shares with these other neurological disorders. Fox
believes that of the three, P.D. will be “the first domino to
fall” in the efforts to prevent, treat, or cure the disease. At
the very least, however, this memoir will be instructive to those
who live in silent and lonely fear. The title might be misleading
— the book has an upbeat tone and comforting message: reassess
your life, find your true values, seek and keep love — an exhortation
not unlike what has been offered to the victims of 9/11. One cannot
be comforted, however, for getting a debilitating illness, but
one can find strength and, absent that, perhaps with a bit of
luck, others who can help in the struggle to find it. In one of
the most touching parts of the book, MJF extends a wise and compassionate
invitation to his curious and no doubt frightened young son to
be his scout for the twitching hand — to take charge, squeeze
it, control it . . . for the moment. This moving scene, of many,
no doubt, the author hopes, will move readers to support the efforts
to combat P.D.
All proceeds from Lucky Man are being donated to The Michael
J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research.#
(See
Medical Update pages 12,13)
Education
Update, Inc., P.O. Box 20005, New York, NY 10001.
Tel: (212) 481-5519. Fax: (212) 481-3919.Email: ednews1@aol.com.
All material is copyrighted and may not be printed without express
consent of the publisher. © 2002.
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