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Ryan Reynolds Gives Thanks For Family

Ryan Reynolds Gives Thanks For Family

Ryan Reynolds, actor and board member of The Michael J. Fox Foundation, recently shared with TIME Magazine what he is appreciative for this season. In his self-authored piece, Ryan paints a picture of his childhood home — a place he was often thankful simply live peacefully among three vivacious older brothers. Before detailing the vivid memory of his decision to get his ear pierced at age 13 — and the anxiety of showing his father — Ryan describes his family life:

As the smallest and youngest, they reserved their most unique and unblinking brand of torture for me. But on occasion, they also unwittingly taught me about rising to the occasion. And for this, I’m grateful. Doing the right thing at the right time speaks volumes about one’s character. Especially when it’s wholly unexpected. As is so often the case with young boys, acts of kindness were like Blue Moons: rare and spectacular.

Ryan himself rose to the occasion as an adult, however, partly due to his father’s diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease and partly because of his admiration for Michael J. Fox’s inspirational attitude. He jumped head first into speeding the cure by running the ING New York City Marathon for Team Fox in 2008 and joining the board of The Michael J. Fox Foundation in 2011.

This past weekend, hours before MJFF’s gala benefit, Ryan sat down with fellow board members Willie Geist and Michael J. Fox to share the impact of Parkinson’s on family life in their exclusive interview with the TODAY show

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