Michael J. Fox Is ‘Having a Rough Time’ Amid Parkinson’s Battle But ‘Refuses’ to Lose ‘Optimism’

Michael J. Fox is being inundated with love and support from his Hollywood peers in the wake of his emotional appearance at the 78th annual Emmy Awards, a source tells Examiner.

On September 14, the Back to the Future star, 65, received a standing ovation when he took to the Peacock Theater stage in Los Angeles to accept the Bob Hope Humanitarian Awards for his decades-long Parkinson’s disease advocacy.

“Life is short and his condition on stage was an urgent reminder that he isn’t going to be around forever,” admits the source. “He and his family have received a waterfall of well-wishers since then, electronically and in person.”

Whether it’s his Family Ties castmates or movie legends like director Steven Spielberg reaching out, Fox “always has the same response,” the source reveals, “which is to tell them to make a donation to his Parkinson’s foundation.”

Fox launched The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research in 2000 after being diagnosed with the degenerative disease in 1991 and the organization has since invested more than $3 billion into a search for a cure.

“He continues to insist that a cure for PD is closer than ever, thanks in part to the research he has relentlessly raised money to support,” says the source.

The Teen Wolf actor not only refuses to abandon hope, he also “refuses to let go of his trademark optimism,” the source notes. “He’s having a rough time with his health right now, but he is not despairing, not in the slightest.”