Michael J. Fox was the known for years as the teenage financial wizard on the television series, Family Ties. Later he went on to become a time traveling teen in the movies and finally a record executive in another television sitcom. While best known for the Back to the Future trilogy, Fox began to notice a variety of unusual symptoms as he got closer and closer to his 30th birthday. What happened next would change Foxs’, and his fans’ lives forever.

Stiffness throughout the body, impaired balance, lack of coordination, slow movements and trembling of the extremities are noticeable signs and symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease.

When Fox began experiencing symptoms, he wasn’t sure how his fans would react, so he made a choice to keep his diagnosis to himself. With the use of powerful medications, Fox kept his symptoms hidden from the public for over seven years. The more the disease progressed, the harder it was for him and his wife Tracy Pollan, to hide the truth.

Seven years after the agonizing diagnoses, Michael J. Fox came clean, telling his fans the truth. Not only did he admit he had the disease, he purposely went several days without his medication to show his fans what his life would be like if he didn’t have his meds to fall back on.

What happened next gave Fox a renewed sense of self. Not only did his fans support him, they encouraged him to keep working towards a cure. People both in and out of the entertainment industry rallied around him.

With the outpouring of support from his fans, Fox limited his acting career and began to forge ahead trying to find a cure for the disease that was quickly consuming his life. For the past 18 years, Fox has continued to appear at functions designed to raise money for Parkinson’s Disease research.

After his diagnosis, Fox went back to acting full time in 2012, but his life’s purpose has now shifted to being a dedicated philanthropist. As his condition continues to worsen over time, Fox moves forward, taking life day by day. Take a look at the Micheal J. Fox Research Foundation for valuable information, updates on research in Parkinson’s and donate to the cause.

From funding research to giving heartfelt advice, Fox lives every day to make sure that individual’s who suffer from Parkinson’s Disease know they are not alone.

We are all about celebrities using their status to spread awareness about their rare disease– it benefits all of us in the chronic illness world! Want to share your story? Click here!