I still love this movie

This is what Michael J. Fox looked like when I was seven. He was definitely the embodiment of cool for me. My brothers got skateboards so they could try out the tricks he did in the three Back to the Future movies, although I'm fairly certain they never skated holding onto a car bumper. I watched Family Ties whenever I could - this took a lot of effort, because we didn't have a TV. I remember being very upset to learn that the show's finale would broadcast the night we were moving to Newfoundland, and I never got to see it.

So I am tremendously saddened to see him today:

I'm sure a doctor could explain any links that might exist between Parkinson's and Huntington's, which several members of my extended family have. I have a form of epilepsy called temporal lobe epilepsy, and before I started taking anti-seizure medications I would have seizures from time to time. I can't possibly compare my life to what people with Parkinson's or Huntington's go through, but I can at least relate to the sensation of being unable to control your body.

As sad as I am to see one of my favourite actors living with a progressive nerve disorder, I'm glad that he's been able to use his fame to make more people aware of what the disease does and the possibilities for treatment.