By Minako Kamio

When we hear the name, Michael J. Fox, most people naturally remember the Back to the Future series directed by Robert Zemeckis. This movie gave him his chance as an actor to be a great success. He has also been in many other movies, and on TV programs such as Family Ties and Spin City. He became famous in Hollywood as a top young actor. But in November 1998, in an interview with People magazine, he shared his experience about his Parkinsonﾕs disease which is an incurable neurophysiological disease. His announcement surprised everyone and made his life completely change. Parkinsonﾕs is a disease which becomes progressively worse, and he announced that he would be able to work as an actor for only another 10 years.

In April 2002, he published Lucky MAN, which is an autobiography. It took 14 months for him to complete the book. Soon after publication, this book became the bestselling non-fiction book in America and caused a great sensation later, too. In January 2003, the Japanese version went on sale. In this book, Michael recounts not only about Parkinsonﾕs, but also about his childhood, his family, his route to success in Hollywood, and an inside story of Hollywood at that time. In addition, this was written clearly with his unique irony and humor, which make us laugh. He expresses his feelings honestly and touches readerﾕs heartstrings. But he experienced mental conflicts and suffering during the seven long years from the time he became ill to his announcement.

To help people suffering from same disease, he established The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinsonﾕs Research. The purpose of this foundation is to help researchers find a cure for Parkinsonﾕs within a decade. His announcement had a great influence on patients suffering from Parkinsonﾕs. Many patients had tended to waver on talking about their disease, but his announcement aroused public interest about Parkinsonﾕs.

Patients suffering from Young Onset Parkinsonﾕs like Michael, where the onset of symptoms begins in people under forty, make up less than 10 percent of the overall Parkinsonﾕs population. This made him one of only a hundred thousand or so in North America. But in this book, Michael says, ”absent this neurophysiological catastrophe. Or I would not have been so profoundly enriched. Thatﾕs why I consider myself a lucky man.” Also, when his doctor told Michael that he had to stop drinking, he said, ”I was lucky ... Part of the diseaseﾕs 'gift' is a certain stark clarity about the rest of your life. P.D.ﾕs brutal assumption of authority over more and more aspects of life makes you appreciate all those areas where you still have sovereignty.”

After his Parkinsonﾕs was out in the open in 1998, he continued working in the TV drama Spin City, which became his last job as an actor. For his role in this show, he was awarded Best Lead Actor in a Comedy Series in the Emmy Awards.

Now he remains busy for his Foundation and as a representative of Parkinsonﾕs patients, and has a hand in collectiong funds in a positive way. If there is enough funds, a cure will be found within a decade. The authorﾕs profits from the book are being donated to the Foundation. This book, Lucky MAN became a bestseller in America and is read by many people in different countries. His book attracts people with his positive attitude for life. His way of living as a human being includes a lot of insights from which we should learn. Again, this book shows us that given enough motivation, humans can change. Whatever it is, we can look closely at our lives with a strong belief and a positive attitude like Michael does.