RIMS 2017 closing keynote: A story of risk and resiliency from Michael J. Fox

Actor Michael J. Fox, best known for his roles as Alex P. Keaton on the popular television series, “Family Ties,” and as Marty McFly in the movie series, “Back to the Future,” shared his personal story of risk and resilience as the RIMS 2017 closing keynote on April 26, wrapping up three days of education sessions, exhibits on risk management, and several networking events.

Canadian-born Fox grew up in Edmonton, Alberta, as did RIMS 2017 president Nowell Seaman. Fox was always interested in a performing career, with small roles starting at age 15. When Fox reached 18, he convinced his parents to let him drop out of high school and take the risk of moving to Hollywood to pursue an acting career. His risk eventually paid off, leading to his successful acting career and marriage in 1988 to Tracy Pollan, the actress cast as his character’s girlfriend in “Family Ties.”

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Then, in 1991 at age 29, the world crashed around Fox when he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease (PD). “I thought, this happens to someone’s Uncle Frank or grandmother, people in their 80s,” he said, describing his first reaction. He was concerned about the effect on his career if people in the entertainment industry — as well as the general public — learned about his condition. “Would they stop offering me good acting roles? Would I become an object of pity? Would I ever work again?” Those were the thoughts spinning in Fox’s mind, and he made the decision to hide his condition from everyone except his immediate family.

Risk No. 1 for Fox

But Fox quickly found that the stress of masking his symptoms and managing his medication became overwhelming, and in 1999 he took the calculated risk of announcing that he had Parkinson’s. “And the risk has paid off,” he told the audience. He was able to continue working in the entertainment industry that he so clearly loves.

“Tracy helps keep me grounded,” he acknowledged. His wife is supportive, but doesn’t let him take the situation too seriously or let him wallow in self-pity. His four children also don’t allow him much time to dwell on his condition.

Risk No. 2 for Fox

In May 2000, Fox took the risk of leaving his successful acting career to establish the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research. “Everyone advised me to set this up as a traditional 501(c)(3) nonprofit,” he said, “but I decided to go in a different, riskier, direction by structuring the foundation as a start-up, one that I hope will eventually go out of business by finding a cure for PD.” As the website explains, “From inception, MJFF has invested in high-risk, high-reward research targets; an approach that in 10 short years has transformed the broader approach in the PD research field.”

Since the foundation was established, it is the largest nonprofit funder of Parkinson’s research worldwide and has given more than $700 million in research grants, according to the website. The foundation operates with an in-house team of formally trained PhDs and business-trained project managers rather than external scientific advisors and boards to allocate research dollars.

Taking the risk of sharing his story with RIMS attendees was clearly a successful one for Fox as the audience gave him a standing ovation, and many left with a new appreciation of what professional risk and resilience really mean.

“I’ve come to see Parkinson’s as a gift,” Fox concluded. “It’s forced me to become resilient and look for different ways to live my life and accomplish my goals.”

Related: What you missed from the RIMS 2017 opening reception