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Michael J. Fox Opens Up About the Support From His Wife Tracy While Battling Parkinson’s Disease

In an interview conducted last fall that aired this Sunday, the “Today” show spoke with actor Michael J. Fox about his battle with Parkinson’s Disease and his new book, “No Time Like the Future: An Optimist Considers Mortality.”

During the interview, Michael J. Fox opened up about the support he’s received from his wife Tracy throughout his ordeal. The couple have been married for more than 30 years.

Michael J. Fox said Tracy is always getting him to see the humorous side of life despite the daily difficulties he faces.

Michael J. Fox on Support From His Wife

The couple has confronted Michael J. Fox’s Parkinson’s directly, launching the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research and leading the search for a cure for the disease. Fox has also written four memoirs about his life.

But away from the spotlight, Tracy is there with Fox for the mundane struggles of everyday living.

“Tracy’s amazing,” Michael J. Fox told “Today.” “She’s there on the front lines with me every single day. She never claims to know as much as I know.”

“And the other thing Tracy does is, she [focuses on] the funny thing,” he added. “Like, if there’s something funny, let’s get to the funny. We’ll deal with the tragic later.”

Michael J. Fox was only 29 when doctors diagnosed him with early-onset Parkinson’s in 1991. He waited until 1998 to share the news of his condition with the public, but when he found out, he had to go home and break the news to his wife.

“One of the things I’ll always love Tracy for is that at that moment, she didn’t blink,” Michael J. Fox recalled.

Fox’s Other Best Friend

One of the many things Fox’s wife has done for him over the years is to buy him a bench in Central Park with a plaque on it. The plaque reads, “For Mike Fox and Gus. True New Yorkers.”

The plaque was a birthday present, according to CBS News. And who is Gus? Well, Gus is Fox’s 12-year-old “Great Dane-ish” mutt.

Michael J. Fox and Gus go for walks through Central Park together, stopping along the way to chat with people who, Fox insists, are as interested in Gus as they are in the former movie star.

And Gus is there for Fox on the bad days as well as the good ones. Like the day two years ago when Fox returned home in a wheelchair after doctors removed a tumor from his spinal cord.

“You know that no matter your situation, no matter what you feel, this animal is with you and is connected to you, and you feel, it’s a force multiplier,” Fox told CBS.

Gus was a rescue dog, but Michael J Fox likes to say that Gus rescued him. Along with Tracy, of course.