Michael J. Fox's charity for Parkinson's disease has raised over $1bn
Michael J Fox speaks at the Tribeca Talks - Storytellers - 2019 Tribeca Film Festival at BMCC Tribeca PAC on April 30, 2019 in New York City.
Michael J. Fox's fund in aid of Parkinson's Disease research and patient advocacy has raised over a billion US dollars in the past two decades, according to a report in Hollywood's Variety newspaper.
Two years after going public with his diagnosis in 1998, the actor launched the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research to help fund research for therapies and cures - and he'll belatedly mark the milestone of twenty years with the 2020 instalment of his annual fundraising gala, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Cure Parkinson’s, happening this week after being delayed by the Covid crisis.
"All I wanted to do was book that McDonalds commercial," the actor told the trade sheet when reflecting on the early days of his career, and the subject of milestones. "I didn’t know I’d be trying to find a cure for Parkinson’s."
A cure for Parkinson's is a lofty ambition for the actor and his team, but the foundation claims to have had a direct hand in developing several therapies. “They are therapies that have made life a lot better for a lot of people.
"I enjoy life more. I’m more comfortable in my skin than I was 20 years ago. I can sit down and be calm. I couldn’t do that 25 years ago. That’s the medications, the drug cocktails and therapies that we’ve been a part of."
He also spoke on patient advocacy, specifically in terms of communication between patients and the medical and academic communities - giving credit to CEO and co-founder Deborah W. Brooks. "She’s just magic."
The next step in identifying risk and treating the disease lies in biomarkers, says the actor. "If we can find ways to identify the condition before it’s evident, if we could take a piece of hair and find it, then we could treat it prophylactically and then maybe you don’t get it."
"What I am most proud of is the way we have galvanized this community. We can get stuff done," he concluded, on the search for a cure.
"I’m committed to this. I won’t stop until it happens."
