Michael J. Fox Proudly Supports Daughter Esmé at New York Marathon
Michael J. Fox continues his long battle with Parkinson’s but remains optimistic and active. Over the weekend, the Back to the Future star cheered on his youngest daughter, 24-year-old Esmé, as she ran the New York Marathon, sharing a rare photo of their meeting along the route.
Diagnosed with Parkinson’s at 29, Fox went public in 1998 and later founded the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research. Despite daily challenges, he told People that he stays positive: “I wake up and get the message of what the day is gonna be like, and I try to adjust to it… You take the good, and you seize it.”
Though he briefly retired from acting in 2020, Fox returned to release his book Future Boy and appear on Shrinking. Married to actress Tracy Pollan, he shares four children, including Esmé, whom he’s described as most like him—curious and creative.
Fox rarely shares family photos, but to mark Esmé’s marathon run and birthday, he wrote on Instagram: “Esme… then and now—you did it! You are amazing. Your dood is very proud.”
Now 62, Fox remains realistic yet fearless about the future, telling Town & Country: “One day I’ll run out of gas… but I don’t fear that.”