If you’ve never been inspired by Michael J. Fox, then you probably don’t know who he is. The Emmy award-winning actor has an optimism that few can rival.

The inspirational man just released his book, No Time Like the Future: An Optimist Considers Mortality, Fox opened up about his health problems and how he re-discovered optimism.

The actor has been living with Parkinson’s for many years.

He has stared in Back to the Future, and Family Ties. He was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 1991 when he was merely 29 years old.

After opening up to the world about his battle with Parkinson’s, the actor has since launched the Michael J. Fox Foundation to battle the disease.

The actor finally comes to peace with the disease.

During a recent interview Fox told George Stephanopoulos this:

“I’ve reached kind of peace with it, kind of a détente. It takes up the space it takes, and it left me room to do other things, and thrive, and golf, and have friendships and travel.”

Many different health problems had plagued Fox, but this was one of the worst.

Michael began experiencing numbness in his limbs. Doctors ran some tests and realized that there was a tumor growing on the popular man’s spine. He must have surgery, or it would lead to permanent paralysis.

He recounted:

“They told me that I couldn’t reverse any of the neurological damage that had been done, but I could perhaps stop it from progressing. But if failing that, it would progress to the point that I’d be paralyzed.”

Fox took the surgery and spent months in physical therapy just learning to walk again.

Then, Fox was plagued by a careless “accident”

Fox was alone in the family’s New York apartment. He hadn’t spent any time alone after the surgery, and everyone else was on a family vacation. He slipped walking and fell into the kitchen.

The actor had fractured his arm, and the paramedics were called. For Fox, he said it was the lowest he could go.

He commented:

“…it was so useless. It was so pointless and so stupid, so avoidable.”

It’s not easy to just go on and do life with a broken arm, and Fox said that it was something that he could have avoided if he had listened to some of his therapy training. He has to think before he walks, he can’t just go.

The fall greatly damaged the positive outlook that Fox had.

Fox recalled some of the great advice his father-in-law had shared with him.

“He would always say, ‘It gets better, kiddo. It gets better. The last thing you run out of is the future. He lived every day with gratitude and I realized, if there’s gratitude, then you have sustained optimism.”

Michael J. Fox’s book, No Time Like the Future: An Optimist Considers Mortality, is available in stores everywhere. The book description reads:

“…Michael shares personal stories and observations about illness and health, aging, the strength of family and friends, and how our perceptions about time affect the way we approach mortality. Thoughtful and moving, but with Fox’s trademark sense of humor, his book provides a vehicle for reflection about our lives, our loves, and our losses.”

Here’s ABC News’ exclusive interview with Fox for you to watch yourself!

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Source: YouTube, Spotlight Stories