Tribute to Michael J. Fox

Last month’s Emmy awards rites offered a number of instructively “awardable” images for viewers to react to and ponder on in a special way.

For us, one of the most striking and inspiring moments was the appearance of Michael J. Fox to announce the winners of the comedy awards. All he did was deliver a short spiel, but it brought the audience of luminaries to their feet. They were honoring more than just a celebrity who had fought a gallant battle against Parkinson’s Disease. —They were paying tribute to courage and fortitude against all odds, with Fox as its sterling exponent.

Being a popular star, he could have gone quietly into retirement when he felt the first signs of his severely debilitating illness. That would have been the “dignified” thing to do. Instead, he saw his tragic lot as a key opportunity to rally people to fund research to lick the debilitating illness, and many victims have been benefiting from his fundraising initiatives.

Major victory

When he spoke at the Emmys, Fox hesitated and stammered a little, but it was a major victory for him, because others in his advanced stage would no longer be able to function, let alone speak.

We hope that the time will come soon when Fox will be able to resume acting. Pending that, however, his life now is an amazing performance in itself, because of the courageous and inspirational example it provides millions of people—to face their own illnesses and other crises, and instead of giving up and allowing them to do their worst, use them to bring out the very best in themselves!