Marriage is no walk in the park.
It is a serious lifelong commitment which requires a lot of self sacrifice from both husband and wife to make it work.
Lots of people out there find it hard to make their marriages work, especially when they’ve been together for so long that the spark is gone.
The trick is to keep that bond and the romance alive.
Famous people don’t have it easy.
It’s fairly common to hear of celebrity couples breaking up or filing for divorce so when you find out that Michael J. Fox and his wife Tracy Pollan have been together since 1988, it does pose some questions.
How are they doing this? What’s the secret?
We’re talking about a 32 year marriage. The Back to the Future star told People as to why his marriage has lasted this long.
“Every day we have something we laugh about for a good two minutes.”
Says the 59 year old Fox.
Michael and Tracy have had four children together.
Son Sam, who is 31 years old; twin daughters Aquinnah and Schuyler, who are 25; and a daughter, Esmé, who is 19.
How did they meet?
Fox and Pollan met in the summer of 85 when she auditioned for Family Ties. Michael was the star of the show. Pollan only did one season while she was still dating Kevin Bacon.
Pollan and Fox reunited when filming the movie Bright Lights, Big City in 1987 and when Michael found out that she was no longer with Bacon, he asked her out to lunch. They got married the next year.
It’s almost like they were made for each other.
When Fox was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in 1991 at the age of 29, he kept it to himself, only telling the world in 1998. He retired in 2000 and later that year, he launched The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, which the New York Times has called “the most credible voice on Parkinson’s research in the world.”
It was his wife Tracy and his family that have helped him through his health struggles over the past years.
“The kind of support she gives me, I feel like a husband, a father, and a friend first, and then somewhere way down the line, I’m someone with Parkinson’s.”
Says Michael.
He had surgery in 2018 for a growth on his spine which required him to learn how to walk again. It took Fox 4 months, referring to it as some of his “darkest times”.
But his wife was there with him.
“My life now is quiet, and I’m actually having a really good time. People don’t believe me, but I love life. I love being with my family. I love being with Tracy. I love that I don’t do a lot of useless stuff that I used to do, because I don’t have the energy or the time.”
This isn’t your typical Hollywood “wedding then divorce” couple.
When Michael revealed to Tracy that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s, she didn’t even blink.
He’s all praises for his wonderful wife, sharing,
“Well, Tracy’s amazing. She’s there in the front lines with me every single day. She never pretends to know as much as I know. And the other thing Tracy does is, if there’s something funny, let’s get to the funny. We’ll deal with the tragic later.”
He told Today.
Michael’s not even wishing for a time machine to go back and forth to change up his life.
He is perfectly content and happy with life thanks to the wonderful woman that is Tracy.
As for the kids, they’re all adults now. Fox talks to them plainly, also thankful for all their support and love for him.
From laughing for two minutes everyday, to just being there for each other “in sickness and in health, ’til death do us part“, Fox and Pollan are showing couples what it means to have a long lasting marriage.
It’s been a pretty intense ride for Fox, but on a road called life, having your partner ride shotgun all the way is something most people can only dream of.
Check out the video below to see more on Michael and Tracy!
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
