Michael J. Fox speaks out about illness

Story from Stuff.Co.NZ 07/04/2009

Michael J Fox says his Parkinson's disease is like an unruly child.
The Back to the Future star - who was diagnosed with the incurable illness 18 years ago - refuses to let his condition get the better of him but admits it is a battle to cope with its effects every day.
Fox, 47, told US talk show host Oprah Winfrey: "This is one fact of my life, but it's not the totality of my life. I'm a dad, I'm a husband, I'm an activist, I'm a writer and I'm just a student of the world.
"As much as I love kids, it's like having a four-year-old climbing on you all the time. You're just trying to be patient and focus."

Showing how dexterous he remains despite the disease - which often impairs the sufferer's ability to move, their speech, and other motor functions - Fox took to the ice and skated for a segment on the show.

The actor - who is releasing a new book Always Looking Up: The Adventures of an Incurable Optimist - said: "I can skate better than I can walk."
Fox - who has four children, Sam, 19, 14-year-old twins Aquinnah and Schuyler and Esme, seven, with his wife Tracy Pollan - recently revealed he doesn't miss his acting days.
Fox, who admitted he would watch one of his movies if he saw himself on TV, said: "There's no longing in it. There's not this deep feeling of loss or anything.
"It's just like, acknowledgement that that was part of what brought me to where I am now, and it was pretty fun."

Footnote:

Always Looking Up, a compelling, positive and remarkably optimistic story(that comes right up to the end of 2008) from the immensely likeable actor, is being released in New Zealand by Random House on 17 April, NZ$39.99. Fox is a hero in my book.