Lucky Man by Michael J. Fox Chapter 6

CHAPTER SIX – Year of Wonders

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Fox phoned Joyce, the psychiatrist recommended by Tracy, on Boxing Day. How would she describe how Fox sounded on the phone when she was asked to recall the event many years later?

Joyce says that Fox sounded like ‘a little boy who’d rather die than admit how scared he was’

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These sessions proved remarkably effective and Fox and Joyce were soon meeting three times a week to discuss his issues. As a result of these sessions, Fox claims that ‘the smoke began to clear’ and together they were able to tackle many of the deep seated problems that he had. However there was one problem that Joyce was unable to attend to. What was this and how did Fox now go about addressing it?

Joyce was of course unable to deal with the medical issues associated with Fox’s PD. At Joyce’s recommendation, Fox now started to see a new neurologist called Dr. Ropper who was able to start Fox on a new and more long term series of treatments for his condition.

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1994 saw Greedy, Fox’s second film with Universal, ‘bomb at the box office’ leaving CAA, his new agents, with a very tough challenge ahead of them if they wanted to resurrect his career. Rather than chasing commercial success in the way he had been, Fox now instructed his agents that he was only willing to work on projects he genuinely wanted to do telling them to contact him if Woody Allen phoned. To his surprise this is exactly what happened. What project did Allen want Fox for?

Woody Allen was adapting his classic stage comedy, Don’t Drink the Water, for television and he wanted Fox for the role of Axcel McGee, the incompetent son of an American Ambassador.

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After filming The American President and The Frighteners, the latter being the third and final film that Fox was under contract to make, the actor made an important, though controversial decision about the future of his career. What was this and what were the reasons behind this decision?

Fox decides to return to Television comedy. He had a number of reasons for this decision. First of all, he felt that the most gifted writers were now working on television. Secondly he wouldn’t be working for anyone, but instead going into a project as a full partner. Thirdly, given Dr Ropper’s prognosis, Fox had six or seven years left. He wanted to be able to be honest with his new partners and do so without concern as this was exactly the length of time needed for a successful network comedy series.

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After much introspection during the Spring of 1994, Fox finally decides to allow his wife and child to witness the symptoms of his condition. He also makes another surprising decision. What was this?

He decided to study for and sit his General Equivalency Diploma Test which he duly passed.

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With Tracy pregnant again, Fox accompanies her to see an obstetrician. As they examine the baby, they make a surprise discovery. What was this?

Fox at first thinks that he sees a deformity when he looks at the spine of the child before Tracy and the obstetrician correct him. Tracy is expecting twins.

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Inducing a slightly early birth, Tracy had twin daughters in February, 1995. The first daughter was named Aquinnah, after their favourite town in Martha’s Vineyard where they had spent so many happy weeks together, and the second one was named Schuyler. Why was this?

Schuyler was Dutch for scholar or teacher, a name which Fox felt was especially apt as he had learned so much over the past ‘year of miracles’.