Michael J. Fox Earns Huge Emmys Ovation and Inspires Tears as He Accepts Humanitarian Award: ‘Accepting Parkinson’s Didn’t Mean I Had to Surrender to It’

Michael J. Fox‘s heartfelt speech at the Emmys earned a huge ovation as he accepted the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award on Monday night. The five-time Emmy winner was recognized for his “transformative contributions to Parkinson’s disease research and advocacy.”

Fox said during his speech, which was intro-ed by his “The Good Wife” co-star Julianna Margulies, “Thank you to everyone involved with the Television Academy for this amazing, humbling honor.”

He spoke about the award’s namesake, Bob Hope, and the entertainer’s tireless dedication to helping people. “I learned from his example. I couldn’t have known how these lessons would resonate in my own life, until my late 20s, when my life handed me a role I wasn’t looking for. Initially I kept my Parkinson’s diagnosis a secret. I worried it would affect my work and relationships with audiences. Would they laugh if they knew I was sick? I was stunned by the support from all of you, so uplifted and I hadn’t lost what I do. They couldn’t take it away from me. And it’s because you stood up for me. … I understood that accepting Parkinson’s didn’t mean I had to surrender to it. It just meant I had to do everything I could for everyone living with this disease.”

“I set out to advocate for Parkinson’s disease and raise money,” he continued. “I found people to lead the effort for me and vowed to fund the best science in the world. I’m proud of the progress we’ve made to benefit Parkinson’s patients and families. We move closer to eradicating this disease forever. I’m deeply grateful to our staff, donors, researchers, and most of all the patient community who make our work at the Michael J. Fox foundation possible.”

Fox went on to thank his wife, the rest of his family and Bob Hope, for “showing me how it’s done.”

Fox was also nominated for guest actor in a comedy series for an appearance on “Shrinking,” though Rob Reiner ended up winning the trophy posthumously.

The “Family Ties” star launched the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research in 2000 after disclosing his diagnosis of Parkinson’s in 1991 at the age of 29.

Oprah Winfrey was the first to win the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award, which was first given in 2002. The award was created “to honor a member of the telecommunications industry whose philanthropic efforts exemplify Bob Hope’s own decades-long altruism and positive impact on society.” Last year’s Bob Hope honor went to Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen.

The honoree is selected by the Television Academy and the Bob & Dolores Hope Foundation to find a person whose “humanitarian efforts have brought credit to the industry and whose deeds and actions have had a lasting impact on society.”