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A review by fbahram
Lucky Man by Michael J. Fox
4.0
A friend gave this book to me. It was such a good read. I had no idea Michael was so sick, and had such a difficult life. While I did not respect ways he wasted his body by alcohol, drugs, and stupid habits before he found out, at a still very young age of mid-20s, about his Parkinson's disease, his remarkable change to a new man was a very good story. The anectodes from this book will stay with me, and it has a great message for everyone.
I remember Michael J. Fox as one of the earliest actors I watched him on television after I had first come in the US. He was witty, likable, and good looking. It was hard not to notice Michael J. Fox in the early 1990s with his rise to fame and stardom. It was also hard not to notice the American media stream’s expectation of how a Hollywood star would and should respond to life’s bitter challenges and incurable diseases.
With patients of long term disabilities and incurable diseases, it is not uncommon for them to form a relationship or understanding with the culprit that is holding the control panel of their life in his evil hands.
After initial bouts of serious denial and aggressive set-backs, Fox learns to accept Parkinson’s for what it is, and to learn to live with it, and to not let the “culprit” win. He embodies a perfectly happy and in his words, lucky person, who happens to have this particular situation to deal with at all odd hours of the day. He manages it all through marriage, relationships, fatherhood and being an actor. He refuses to give in and give up. It must be our will to refuse to give in to such battles, and our natural resistance to utter despair and a life of unhappiness. While it is nearly never our first reaction to the horrific wake of bad news, it is the one we settle into if we are to continue thriving in life.
Rich or poor, famous or inconspicuous, it is undeniable that charting through such a painful course is not easy, and for those who do it well, with their spirits un-shattered, their faith unbroken, and their will to live only stronger, I feel admiration and respect. Michael J. Fox is the embodiment of that spirit. I think him strong, courageous, pertinacious, patient, compassionate to others sharing his fate and kind – but lucky is hardly the term I would think to use for Fox. It is refreshing to see how much more brightly and precisely he can see the situation from his own perspective.
I remember Michael J. Fox as one of the earliest actors I watched him on television after I had first come in the US. He was witty, likable, and good looking. It was hard not to notice Michael J. Fox in the early 1990s with his rise to fame and stardom. It was also hard not to notice the American media stream’s expectation of how a Hollywood star would and should respond to life’s bitter challenges and incurable diseases.
With patients of long term disabilities and incurable diseases, it is not uncommon for them to form a relationship or understanding with the culprit that is holding the control panel of their life in his evil hands.
After initial bouts of serious denial and aggressive set-backs, Fox learns to accept Parkinson’s for what it is, and to learn to live with it, and to not let the “culprit” win. He embodies a perfectly happy and in his words, lucky person, who happens to have this particular situation to deal with at all odd hours of the day. He manages it all through marriage, relationships, fatherhood and being an actor. He refuses to give in and give up. It must be our will to refuse to give in to such battles, and our natural resistance to utter despair and a life of unhappiness. While it is nearly never our first reaction to the horrific wake of bad news, it is the one we settle into if we are to continue thriving in life.
Rich or poor, famous or inconspicuous, it is undeniable that charting through such a painful course is not easy, and for those who do it well, with their spirits un-shattered, their faith unbroken, and their will to live only stronger, I feel admiration and respect. Michael J. Fox is the embodiment of that spirit. I think him strong, courageous, pertinacious, patient, compassionate to others sharing his fate and kind – but lucky is hardly the term I would think to use for Fox. It is refreshing to see how much more brightly and precisely he can see the situation from his own perspective.