About 35 years ago, when Tracy Pollan vowed that she’d be with Michael J. Fox “for better or for worse and in sickness and in health,” she meant every word.

Since her husband was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease only three years after they wed, Pollan stood by Fox and has been “there on the front lines” with him “every single day.”

Teary-eyed, the retired star says of his devoted wife, “One of the things I’ll always love Tracy for is that at that moment, she didn’t blink.”

Keep reading to learn more about the couple’s enviable bond! 

Finding fame while portraying the ambitious and intelligent Alex P. Keaton in the hit TV series Family Ties (1982 to 1989), a young Michael J. Fox was poised to be one of Hollywood’s greatest stars.

The Golden Globe winning-actor was the cute preppy, Canadian-born actor that girls around the world swooned over.

But when he met Tracy Pollan, who played his girlfriend Ellen Reed on the awardwinning comedy series that spanned seven seasons, it was game over.

Pollan, now 63, and Fox, 62, were married in 1988 at the height of his career, just as his TV personality was transitioning into the film star, Marty McFly in the Back to the Future trilogy.

In 1991, the same year his comedy film Doc Holiday was released, the Emmy Award-winning actor, 29 at the time, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.

In November 2022, while accepting the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, Fox recalled his painful journey with Parkinson’s disease.

“I was told I only had 10 years left to work. That was s***ty. That’s what happened.

The hardest part of my diagnosis was grappling with the certainty of the diagnosis and the uncertainty of the situation,” Fox said. “I only knew it would get worse. The diagnosis was definite, the progress was indefinite and uncertain. My wife [Pollan] made it clear that she was with me for the duration. But my young son, Sam, didn’t know. He didn’t have a choice.”

The children

The couple share son Sam Michael, 34, twin daughters Aquinnah Kathleen and Schuyler Frances, 29, and Esmé Annabelle, 22.

“If I’m reaching for something, they’ll just do it and carry on,” he said of his children in an interview with Good Housekeeping (through People). “[They have learned] empathy, resilience, and also sorting out what’s important from what’s not, things like vanity.”

Fox shares a close relationship with his now adult children, who frequently make guest appearances on his Instagram account.