Michael J. Fox has spoken out about his determination to help find a cure for Parkinson's.
The beloved Back To The Future star first went public with his battle with the neurodegenerative disorder back in 1998, following his diagnosis of early-onset Parkinson’s disease in 1991. He was just 29 years old at the time of the diagnosis.
In 2000, the actor launched the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's research, which is "dedicated to finding a cure for Parkinson's disease through an aggressively funded research agenda and to ensuring the development of improved therapies for those living with Parkinson's today".
In an interview with Variety, the actor revealed that his foundation has raised over $1 billion, which has been used for research for therapies and cures against the disease.
Joking that he never saw himself working towards a cure for Parkinson's after pursuing a career in acting, Fox praised the research his foundation has already helped fund, saying: "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."
And although a cure for Parkinson's is still a long way off, Fox said that he just wants "to get this done".
"I’m committed to this. I won’t stop until it happens," he said.
Elsewhere in the interview, he praised the Foundation's CEO and co-founder, Deborah W. Brooks, for the success they have accomplished. But what the actor is "most proud" of is the way the Foundation has helped "galvanize" the Parkinson's community.
In an interview with The Guardian, Fox described Parkinson's as an "insidious disease", and admitted he had no idea how his condition would worsen over time.
He said: "When you’re first diagnosed, what you’re presenting is relatively minor. I had a twitching pinky and a sore shoulder. They said, 'You won’t be able to work in a few years,' and I’m thinking, 'From this?'"
Nevertheless, Fox remains positive for his future and the future of others with the condition, telling The Guardian: "As limited as I am in some regards, if you’d told me when I was diagnosed that I’d have this life now and do the things that I do, I’d have said, ‘I’ll take it.’ I can move around – it takes some planning, but I can move. I can think, I can communicate and I can express affection.
"What else do you want?"
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