Feeling optimistic? Michael J. Fox’s Parkinson’s health update — and why he’s hopeful for a cure

If you grew up watching Michael J. Fox on telly or back in his Back to the Future days, you’ll already know he’s been living with Parkinson’s disease for years now. But even as the condition’s taken an increasing toll, he’s somehow managed to stay right in the thick of things – both on-screen and behind the scenes, especially with the research side of things.

‘I’m privileged to commit my time and energy to bringing everything I’ve got to help cure this disease.’

A Long Road with Parkinson’s

Fox first noticed symptoms way back at 29, though he only made his diagnosis public in 1998. Not long after, he set up the Michael J. Fox Foundation in 2000, basically throwing himself into the fight to get better treatments and – if scientists manage it – a proper cure. The Foundation’s been busy, too: it’s bankrolled over $3 billion in medical research to date, and now he’s getting fresh attention for winning the Lasker-Bloomberg Public Service Award for all that advocacy work.

Here’s how Fox summed things up to People: ‘Science is showing we’re getting close.’

He reckons researchers are clocking ‘more research breakthroughs every year, new drugs to help patients live well, and better tools to help scientists move faster.’ That’s quite a lot of movement in a field that, to be blunt, hasn’t always been famous for rapid progress.

Big Money & Even Bigger Hopes

While the Michael J. Fox Foundation has already pushed billions into the field, apparently that’s just the start. Fox himself is hoping to help drum up a further $2.5 billion to keep the momentum going for Parkinson’s research and whatever new treatments are on the horizon. He’s not sugar-coating things, either: finding an actual cure isn’t going to be quick, cheap, or easy. As he put it, ‘Science is hard. It’s astronomically expensive. It takes time and collaboration.’ Still, he’s certain that all the slog is going to pay off eventually—even if nobody can pin down the timing yet.

The Michael J. Fox Foundation has channelled over $3 billion into Parkinson’s research so far.

Getting the Lasker-Bloomberg Public Service Award is yet another sign that Fox’s efforts have properly shaken up the field—not just raising cash, but getting Parkinson’s pushed further into the public eye. At 65, after more than three decades of health challenges but even more advocacy, Fox seems determined to hang in for the long haul.