LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Mary Marquardt, the first wife of Hollywood star Harrison Ford, has been living with multiple sclerosis (MS) for over three decades. The former illustrator and chef, who married Ford when he was still a struggling actor, kept her condition a secret for a long time but inspired her son Ben to become a chef and an MS advocate.
Marquardt met Ford at Rippon College in Wisconsin where they became college sweethearts. They tied the knot in June 1964 and moved to Los Angeles in their Volkswagen bus, hoping for better opportunities in the entertainment industry.
Marquardt never remarried
Marquardt supported Ford in his pursuit of fame, but their marriage fell apart after he met screenwriter Melissa Mathison on the set of 'Apocalypse Now'. They divorced in 1979 after 15 years of marriage. Marquardt never remarried, but faced another challenge in the late 1980s when she was diagnosed with MS, a chronic disease that causes damage to the brain and spinal cord. According to AmoMama, “She did not tell anyone about her illness for a long time, as the symptoms were unpredictable and varied.”
Marquardt and Ford have two sons, namely Benjamin Ford and Willard Ford. Their oldest son Benjamin born on September 22, 1966, decided to follow in his mother's footsteps to become a chef. Ben, as per a report, said he did not notice anything wrong with his mother when he was young and it took him a while to understand her condition. MS has no cure, but Marquardt learned to live and cope with it for over 35 years.
'She taught me how to cook by teaching me how to make recipes'
She lost her ability to cook, but she passed on her passion and knowledge to Ben who became a chef. He said that cooking was his mother's way of showing love to her family. He added: “She taught me how to cook by teaching me how to make recipes.” Despite experiencing symptoms she raised Ben who in a 2017 interview revealed his mother kept her illness a secret from her loved ones as the symptoms would change all the time.
'When other kids were out playing football, I was in the cooking in the kitchen with my parents'
"When other kids were out playing football, I was in the cooking in the kitchen with my parents," Ben added. Ben also followed his mom’s example of being honest about MS with his children and launched a #ReimagineMySelf campaign in 2017 to help people with MS reimagine their lives. Marquardt worked as an illustrator and chef for many years before retiring from work in 2001 due to her illness. She currently lives in the US where she continues to maintain a low profile. She does not cook anymore because of her deteriorating health, but she enjoys watching her son carry forward her legacy. "My mom has always kept her smile. She is a huge inspiration in the way she lives and loves......and she never, ever gives up. Love you mom!," Ben once wrote on is Instagram alongside the picture her mother.
