East Carolinian

Issue date: 4/14/09 Section: Features

Media Credit: staff photo

Living with an incurable disease only makes life worth living, according to upbeat actor Michael J. Fox.

In his second autobiography, "Always Looking Up: The Adventures of an Incurable Optimist," Fox says that having Parkinson's disease has made his life more challenging. It has also made him appreciate what life has to offer him.

Diagnosed with Parkinson's in 1991, Fox has continued to remain optimistic about his life.

Inspirational and admirable, Fox's "Always Looking Up" is a fascinating read.

Beginning where his first autobiography "Lucky Man" left off, Fox has divided his latest book into four sections, which he says are the most important topics in his life: work, politics, family and faith.

The words of Fox are both humorous and moving as he speaks of how important and supportive his family is to him.

He discusses how he struggles to exert some control over involuntary muscle movements by using a medication prescribed for Parkinson's disease patients. He describes how the timing between the effects of the medication and his on-screen time did not always coincide.

"Always Looking Up" reveals how Fox has rallied around others with medical maladies, his continued support of Parkinson's research and how former president George W. Bush's adversity to stem cell research affected Fox personally.

Also in his autobiography is Fox's reaction to the slanderous outburst of Rush Limbaugh, who publicly insulted Fox, saying that he was "faking" his Parkinson's muscle spasms.

Fox describes how Limbaugh went so far as to mimic Fox's muscle spasms on national television.

But Fox is resilient and continues to reappear on screen even after several hiatuses due to his complicated disease.

Tuesday he will be making a cameo appearance on FX's "Rescue Me" as the new boyfriend of Tommy's (Dennis Leary) ex-wife. This will mark the second of Fox's five scheduled cameos on the show.

Fox is also slated to be in a biographical documentary May 7 on ABC.



This writer can be contacted at features@theeastcarolinian.com.

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