Michael J. Fox celebrated his 65th birthday in style on Tuesday, with his adoring wife, Tracy Pollan, by his side. The Back to the Future star received a birthday shoutout from his wife of 37 years on Instagram, with Tracy sharing a photo of her husband sitting at a restaurant and smirking.
In the second shot, Michael and Tracy sat side-by-side in a room overlooking a stunning waterfront, with wide smiles on their faces. “Happy birthday handsome! So excited to share another one with you, I love you Mikes,” she captioned the post, as Michael commented: “Thanks sweetie…I love you!”
Michael and Tracy are one of the most enduring couples in Hollywood, having met on the set of Family Ties in 1985, and they tied the knot in 1988 in Vermont. Just three years into their marriage, the actor was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, which only cemented their strong bond as Tracy began to take on a caregiver role.
“I had no idea what to expect and neither did she,” Michael admitted on CBS Mornings in 2023. “But for better or worse…in sickness – she was going to stick with me, and she has.”
“We knew the bus was coming, but we didn’t know when or how fast it was coming before it hit us,” he continued. “At any time, she could be forgiven for saying, ‘I just want to step out’. But she didn’t do that.”
Michael added that Tracy had a life “separate from me having Parkinson’s,” and had learned how to balance family life.
© InstagramTracy credits Michael’s optimism for allowing them to get through the worst of his illness together. “From the beginning, I loved his sense of humor and that brain of his. He’s so smart,” Tracy said in an interview with Oprah Winfrey.
Learn more about Michael’s diagnosis below…
“A lot of my adjustment [to Parkinson’s] has been dictated by Michael’s point of view. He’s so relaxed and so accepting of where he is, and that makes it easier for me, the kids, and everyone around him.”
The couple share four children: Sam, 37, twins Aquinnah and Schuyler, 31, and Esmé, 24. The foursome are incredibly supportive of their parents and often help Tracy care for Michael.
© Getty Images“Michael was diagnosed before the girls were born and very, very early into Sam’s life, so it’s kind of all they know, really,” Tracy told People.
© Getty Images“And they’re just incredibly supportive. They’re very helpful to me. I lean on them a lot and [because] Michael is so optimistic, which is wonderful and really helps him, but it’s really important to also understand that this is a huge challenge.”
The 65-year-old added that being a caregiver was far from easy. “It’s very difficult for the family, for the caregivers, and obviously for the patient, so I think it’s also important to acknowledge that, and acknowledge that it’s not just all sort of easy. It’s not easy. So you know, and it’s hard for them, but they show up and you know, they’re there for us.”
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