Life's lesson in 10 minutes

Posted at 2:33 PM on April 17, 2010 by Bob Collins (2 Comments)
Filed under: Icons

If there was a more touching interview on public radio this week than the one this morning with Michael J. Fox on Weekend Edition, I'm certainly not aware of it. Fox, as you probably know, has Parkinson's Disease. Part way through the interview, he struggled to finish his sentences, recovering near the end, and using the moment to teach us a little more about the disease. By the end, it was fairly clear that host Scott Simon was , if not near tears, was at least awestruck.

Listen to how much wisdom can be crammed into 10 minutes. You won't regret the time spent.

"The eloquence of the words, and the halting of the speech, created such a contrast and complement all at once. Each completed the other to make the interview whole. The starling contrast awoke me. The humility and wisdom moved me. I was listening while driving, and had to pull over," a listener remarked on the NPR Web site.

That makes two of us.

(Find an excerpt of Michael J. Fox's book here. You can hear a reading from the book here.)

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Comments (2)

Lost my father to complications stemming from Parkinson's Disease. Have loved Mr. Fox way longer than that, but need to applaud him for being straight forward and honest about the illness and for persevering. My Dad did all he could as well. With dignity, with courage, with all anyone can give. Kudos to Michael J. Fox for continuing to deliver the message..

Posted by Minn Whaler | April 17, 2010 6:17 PM

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I was getting ready to do a funeral this morning, and listened to NPR, as I always do in the mornings. I also knew I had to get to writing my sermon for tomorrow on the story from Acts about the "conversion" of Paul. When I heard the interview with Michael J. Fox (whose work and person I have long admired), I finally knew what I needed to say about this experience of Paul's. Paul learned from his mistakes and failures, and "gave the loss" (of his sight, his independence, his secure identity as a powerful control-freak!) -- all of its needed space, as Mr. Fox relayed we all need to do with our losses. Life came & "filled the cracks" for Paul, as Mr. Fox suggests it must be allowed to do for us all. What a wonderful way to look at life, MIchael J. Fox! You are not just a cheap momentary inspiration, you are a sustaining, guiding, lasting inspiration. Thank you.

Posted by Rev. Sharon James Fazel | April 17, 2010 8:05 PM

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