"They're so supportive and so great": Michael J. Fox opened up about family's role in his Parkinson's battle

Michael J. Fox shared his thoughts on the constant support of his family during the A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Cure Parkinson’s event in New York City on November 15. Living with Parkinson’s for over 30 years, the actor talked about how his family still plays a big part in helping him handle the condition.

Fox, 64, appeared at the fundraising gala alongside friends, supporters, and longtime collaborators of the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research.

Speaking to PEOPLE at the event, he emphasized how central his family has been through every stage of his diagnosis.

“They're so supportive and so great,” he said of his wife, Tracy Pollan, and their four children — Sam, 36, Aquinnah and Schuyler, 30, and Esmé, 24.

He added that their presence continues to be a grounding force.

“All these people are friends of mine, family, and it's really great to see them, and I walk on the red carpet surprised to see them, and I think, 'Well, why should I be surprised?'” Fox shared. “They've always been there for me, and they continue to be for me, year after year.”

Michael J Fox is such a hero to us, for so many reasons.

His appearing with Larry David on Curb Your Enthusiasm, dealing with the stigma of Parkinson's, is just brilliant! pic.twitter.com/QGIJdjrVoX

— Hollywood Horror Museum (@horrormuseum) November 12, 2025

Fox shared news of Michael's Parkinson’s diagnosis in 1991, choosing to do so in a PEOPLE magazine cover story. About ten years after that, in 2000, he started the Michael J. Fox Foundation to speed up studies on the disease.

Over the last 25 years, his foundation has grown into the biggest nonprofit in the world focused on Parkinson’s research, providing over $2.5 billion to improve science and treatment.

Reflecting on the foundation’s progress, Fox told PEOPLE last month,

“You don’t know how much you need until you know how much it took. I’m so happy with what we’ve done. So happy to see advancement.”

Pollan, 65, also spoke about the family’s experience supporting Fox. She acknowledged both their commitment and the realities of managing a long-term illness.

The couple’s children, she said, are “just incredibly supportive” of their father. She added,

“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. It's very difficult for the family, for the caregivers and, obviously, for the patient. So it's important to acknowledge that and acknowledge that it's not just all sort of easy. It's not easy. It's hard for them, but they show up and they're there for us.”