POINT MAN

February 22, 2010

Point Man
\’point-‘man\ 1: a soldier who goes ahead of a patrol 2: one who is in the forefront; especially : a principal spokesman or advocate

Parkinson’s is a debilitating disease that afflicts approximately between 50,000-1,000,000 people (www.parkinsoninfo.org). It is a disorder that affects the neurosystem, causing difficulty moving and functioning on a day-to-day basis. The financial facet of living with Parkinson’s is immense and takes a toll on not only the individual faced with battling it but their families as well.
There are many people (ranging from celebrities to ordinary members of society) who are fighting to establish heightened awareness and who are working tirelessly to fund research to find a cure. However, there is such one person who has really delved into the efforts, based on his personal fight: Michael J. Fox. Whether you loved Fox as Alex P. Keaton on Family Ties, Michael Flaherty on Spin City or the young boy in Back to the Future, it was always Michael’s ability to make his audience laugh and relate to his character.
When Fox went public with news that he was battling Parkinson’s Disease in 1991, the nation rallied around him and within the next nineteen years, Fox would continue to not only fight his personal nemesis, but to act as the point man; raising awareness through education, a public appeal to Congress and his own struggle. Michael J. Fox launched his own foundation, The Michael J. Fox Foundation which has raised almost 176 million dollars in research since its inception in 2000.
Michael J. Fox has been an amazing example and testament to hard work to achieve one’s goals, educate others and to keep believing.

To learn more about Parkinson’s Disease, go to www.parkinsonsinfo.org . To make a donation to The Michael J. Fox Foundation, go to www.michaeljfox.org.