Michael J. Fox's Wife Tracy Pollan ‘Gives Him the Strength to Keep Fighting' Amid Parkinson's Battle
Michael J. Fox has demonstrated selfless courage in the face of adversity, and a source says he's totally indebted to his devoted wife of almost 37 years, Tracy Pollan, who's his total rock and main source of strength through good times and bad.
'Michael is the first to say that he couldn't do any of this without Tracy,' the insider exclusively tells Closer amid Michael's battle with Parkinson's disease. 'When he was diagnosed she didn't flinch, she just stood by him with total loyalty and she's never wavered. She is right there in the trenches with him, she doesn't try to fix everything or act like she knows all the answers, she just shows up, every single day for him and their kids.'
'Even with all he's been through he says all the time he's the luckiest guy in the world because he has the best wife and kids any man could ask for,' the insider adds. 'Whenever he feels discouraged, Tracy is right there to lift him up and remind him of how far he's come. Michael is such an incredibly brave and positive person but he's the first one to credit Tracy, he says all the time she's the one that gives him the strength to keep fighting. Anyone that knows him will tell you their love story is one for the ages.'
The Back to the Future actor, 63, opened up about his relationship with Tracy, 64, in Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie. The pair are parents to four kids, Sam, Aquinnah, Schuyler and Esme.
"When I'm with my family there's no... 'Oh baby. I feel your pain. I feel so bad for you. You're a saint among men,'" the dad of four said. "That would be the worst thing they could do to me."
He said that Tracy "learned to deal with a lot of stuff" in the years since his diagnosis.
"How frustrating it must be to bear a burden that isn't her burden. It's my burden, but she shares it with me,' Michael said. 'She not only shares it with me, she takes it on more than I take it on. Anything I go through, she's gone through and then has to figure out how to make it work. I just have to feel it and live it."
Michael and Tracy have been married since 1988. The Spin City alum was diagnosed with Parkinson's three years later at age 29.
Though he admitted he's faced some challenges through the years, Michael's love and appreciation for Tracy has never wavered.
"Tracy gives our family everything that we need. Any good in our family, anything good that we do, comes from her," he told People in March 2023.
"I think we really listen to each other, we are there for each other when we need each other," Tracy told the outlet. "And then we also give each other space when that's needed. Just feeling off of what's needed at the moment and trying to be there."
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


New York Post
3 hours ago
- New York Post
Olivia Munn reveals she ‘felt like an expectant father' while waiting for her daughter to arrive via surrogate
Olivia Munn knows that in the end it worked out exactly as it should. Although while the actress, 44, was waiting for the arrival of her second child, daughter Méi, now 8 months, via surrogate, she wasn't sure she felt totally connected. Munn, who also shares son Malcom, 3, with husband John Mulaney told People in an interview published Saturday, that waiting for Méi to be born 'was the first time I was like, 'Oh wait, is this what it's like to be an expectant dad?'' Advertisement 8 Olivia Munn details welcoming her second daughter. People Magazine 8 Olivia Munn and John Mulaney with their baby. Olivia Munn / Instagram 'A lot of times people say, 'Oh, the dads don't really connect with the baby until it's right there in front of them,' ' she explained. 'The dads, they're not carrying the baby. I carried Malcolm, so I understood from the very genesis, like, okay, I've got a life in me. Your body is changing and your energy is changing and your hair is changing and everything's changing, so it feels very real all the time.' This time around, Munn and Mulaney, 42, opted for a surrogate after the 'Buddy Games' alum underwent a double mastectomy and hysterectomy following her breast cancer diagnosis. Advertisement 'Even though it all felt very real for me, and our surrogate and I spoke all the time and she'd send me videos, it was a little bit of, 'Oh wait, she's coming,'' Munn continued. 'I felt like an expectant father.' 'It was important to do it at that moment, but it was also scary because my type of cancer feeds on hormones, and there are a lot of hormone injections with IVF,' the 'Your Friends & Neighbors' star said about deciding to do an egg retrieval before her cancer surgeries. After the procedure, Munn shared she was able to retrieve seven eggs, with two of the embryos being 'strong enough to be tested for abnormalities and the gender.' Advertisement 8 Olivia Munn and daughter Méi. oliviamunn/Instagram 'I remember I was on a walk with John, and I said, 'I really don't think that I'll be okay unless we get two girl embryos. I know this puts me at risk, but I just need you to support me,' ' Munn recounted. 'He said, 'Whatever you need.' ' The Hollywood vet's doctor then called and confirmed she had two healthy female embryos. As Munn put it, 'that was a sign for me everything was going to be okay.' Advertisement 8 Olivia Munn and John Mulaney celebrate their son Malcolm's 2nd birthday. Oliviamunn/Instagram And when it came to choosing a surrogate to carry their daughter, one thing in particular mattered most: 'The number one thing that I wanted in a surrogate was someone who was kind.' She added, 'I just wanted her to be kind, and I needed her to understand that this is a path that I had to go on. This is not a choice I would've made for myself.' 'The first thing I worried about was if I would be able to find somebody who would love and take care of my daughter as much as I would,' Munn went on. 'We were so lucky to find someone so kind who we bonded with so much.' 8 Olivia Munn shares pictures from her cancer surgeries. oliviamunn/Instagram 8 Olivia Munn opens up about her cancer journey. oliviamunn/Instagram Despite finding someone they trusted, 'The Daily Show' alum 'had a concern of 'Will my daughter know me?' ' Once their little one arrived, all worries washed away for the mom-of-two. Advertisement 'Méi would cry, and I was the only one who could get her to stop,' she said. 'I knew she knew me, and I knew her. She's got this stick-straight hair that I had when I was a baby. I think because I wasn't able to carry her, I really needed to see myself in her. I see myself in her so much.' 8 Olivia Munn shares snaps from home. oliviamunn/Instagram Looking at where her life is now, two years after receiving a life altering cancer diagnosis, Munn gushed: 'It's so crazy to think that I'm sitting here with two amazing babies. I'm just so happy and grateful, and I'm really proud of what I've been able to do. I didn't know how much strength I had inside me.' Elsewhere in the interview, the 'Attack of the Show!' vet admitted that she and her other half might not be entirely done having kids. The pair still have one viable frozen female embryo. Advertisement 'Two [kids] is a lot,' she told the outlet. 'We're still talking if we are done growing our family.' 8 Olivia Munn shares family pictures. oliviamunn/Instagram In May, Mulaney took a moment to praise his wife of almost a year. The comedian said while on the SiriusXM podcast, 'Where Everybody Knows Your Name,' 'I always look back on her the when she was diagnosed in April [2023], through that whole year and go, 'She wasn't just courageous, but she was also so fun … like, we had so much fun.' ' Advertisement 'It's weird; I go through iPhone photos and I go, 'Oh that's you, me, and Malcolm in the backyard with the kiddie pool when he decided to just pour so many pebbles into the storm drain and clog it up and whatever it was,' and … that was 3 weeks after your lymph node dissection.' Mulaney noted that 'it wasn't just the courage of it. She also was just giving us — it's always just her greatest best self throughout it.'
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Lena Waithe Dropped Over $35,000 for a Special Piece of 'The Mary Tyler Moore' Set: 'I Will Cherish This'
On Wednesday. June 4, Doyle's Auctions held an auction for "The Collection of Mary Tyler Moore" One of the big sales of the auction was a gold-painted "M" that sat on the wall of Mary Richards' apartment in The Mary Tyler Moore Show The Emmy-winner says it's an "honor" to own the special piece after purchasing it for $35, 200Lena Waithe has purchased a special piece of television history. The Emmy Award winner has purchased the gold-painted "M" that adorned Mary Richards' apartment wall on The Mary Tyler Moore Show. The sale took place on Wednesday, June 4, at Doyle's "The Collection of Mary Tyler Moore" auction. The humble prop was the highlight of the auction, receiving a ton of interest due to its prominence in the background of a beloved sitcom, which aired from 1970 to 1977. Original estimates had the piece going for anywhere from $5,000 to 8,000. The piece far exceeded expectations, opening at $14,000 and ultimately selling for a stunning $35,200. In a statement about the sale, Waithe shares, "I will cherish this piece of television history for the rest of my life. I feel honored to have custody of it until it's time to pass it along to someone else." Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Other Mary Tyler Moore items garnered impressive sales. A colorful portrait of Moore by Peter Max sold for $15,360. Original Al Hirschfeld drawings capturing Moore's roles in The Dick Van Dyke Show ($6,080) and The Mary Tyler Moore Show ($7,680) also exceeded expectations. Moore began leading The Mary Tyler Moore Show in 1970, not long after her starring role on The Dick Van Dyke Show. The show was produced by her company, MTM Enterprises, which was behind many successful TV series. Her TV alter ego, Mary Richards, was not that different from the real Moore, the late actress once told PEOPLE in 1974. 'I never went the actors' studio route. I'm not an actress who can create a character. I play me. I'm scared that if I tamper with it I might ruin it,' she shared, noting her single girl character happened, in part, because she didn't want to play married again, and CBS didn't want her character to be divorced. She ended up with eight Emmy nominations and four wins for her work on the series. Read the original article on People
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
General Hospital spoilers week of June 9-13
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. There's lots of drama coming up in Port Charles. If you want to see what's coming up this week or if you missed a story last week and need to know what happened, we've got you covered with our General Hospital spoilers for the week of June 9-13. More Soaps News Beyond the Gates spoilers week of June 9-13The Bold and the Beautiful spoilers week of June 9-13The Young and the Restless spoilers week of June 9-13Days of Our Lives spoilers week of June 9-13The Bold and the Beautiful preview week of June 9 Take a look at the General Hospital spoilers for the week of June 9, courtesy of Soap Opera News: Monday, June 9"Lucky says good-bye to Lulu. Drew stoops to a new low. Kristina is struck by inspiration. Cody makes a proposal to Carly. Elizabeth opens up to Lucas." Tuesday, June 10"Willow holds her ground. Laura has a happy reunion. Isaiah receives a generous offer. Trina opens up to Ava. Tracy delivers words of caution." Wednesday, June 11"Michael's news shocks Carly, Sonny and Jason. Trina and Kai put their heads together. Isaiah picks up on Portia's distress. Nina is on the warpath. Felicia accepts a new mission." Thursday, June 12"Shockwaves rip through the courtroom at Michael and Willow's hearing. Elizabeth tends to a patient. Ric makes an admission. Ava issues an invitation. Alexis swallows her panic." Friday, June 13"Tracy challenges Alexis. Maxie tries to play peacemaker. The tension between Chase and Dante grows. Anna reflects on her past. Marco is taken aback." And in case you missed out on last week's episodes, here's what happened on General Hospital for the week of June 2, courtesy of Soap Opera News: Monday, June 2: "Elizabeth makes a discovery. Michael and Kristina reunite. Brook Lynn unleashes her fury. Alexis is in the hot seat. Sonny offers counsel." Tuesday, June 3: "Michael and Willow's divorce hearing begins. Sonny opens up to Jason. Trina defends Josslyn. Ric strongarms Alexis. Jordan learns more about Dalton." Wednesday, June 4: "Brook Lynn and Lulu come face to face. Lucky surprises Elizabeth. Michael takes the stand. Anna puts pressure on Brennan. Laura and Sonny discuss family matters." Thursday, June 5: "Lucky faces a hard truth. Anna shares her suspicions with Jason. Curtis and Portia host a family gathering. Sasha is overwhelmed. Willow springs into action." Friday, June 6: "Carly confronts Jason. Cody and Molly get better acquainted. Curtis meets with Jordan. Nina makes a confession. Drew is dismayed." General Hospital airs weekdays on ABC and is the available on-demand the following day on Hulu. Check your local listings to see when it comes on where you are.