Michael J. Fox

Michael J. Fox

Michael J. Fox is well known as a great actor portraying many different characters, such as Marty McFly, from "Back to the Future" and Alex from "Family Ties", but millions know him as a hero. Michael J. Fox was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease at the age of 30. The disease has effected him severely, but nothing could stop his drive and willingness to help others. He founded the Michael J. Fox foundation in 1998 and has raised 75 million dollars since 2000 for Parkinson"s disease research.

Michael

ABOUT PARKINSON'S- "Parkinson's disease (also known as Parkinson disease or PD) is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that often impairs the sufferer's motor skills and speech. Parkinson's disease belongs to a group of conditions called movement disorders. It is characterized by muscle rigidity, tremor, a slowing of physical movement, and in extreme cases, a loss of physical movement. The primary symptoms are the results of excessive muscle contraction, normally caused by the insufficient formation and action of dopamine, which is produced in the dopaminergic neurons of the brain."

Stuart Little

ABOUT HIS CAREER- Michael J. Fox moved to Los Angeles at the age of eighteen. His acting career quickly took off when he played the lovable Alex Keaton on NBC's Family Ties. The show became an instant hit and Fox began receiving awards for his work including three Emmys and a golden globe. The show lasted for seven years and ended in 1989. Fox soon went to work on a brand new series called Spin City in 1996. He portrayed Michael Flaherty, New York's deputy mayor. For that show he won three Golden Globes and one Emmy. In Spin City you saw a lot of Michael's devotion to his work. He did everything from riding a horse bare-back to jumping into the Hudson River. Not only was Fox a TV star, he was an international movie star appearing in films such as Doc Hollywood, Light of Day, Teen Wolf, Life with Mikey, and, of course, the Back to the Future trilogy. In 1988 Fox had married his Family Ties co-star Tracy Pollan. They had four kids together which then inspired Fox to create movies that his children would enjoy. You now hear his voice in the Disney films Homeward Bound and Atlantis the Lost Empire. His most famous kid's movie was the Sony film Stuart Little in which He played the voice of Stuart Little.

Michael J. Fox Foundation

ABOUT THE MICHAEL J. FOX FOUNDATION- "The Foundation is dedicated to ensuring the development of a cure for Parkinson's disease within this decade through an aggressively funded research agenda.

Enormous progress toward finding a cure has been made on many neurological fronts, and scientists' understanding of the brain and how disease affects it has increased dramatically. The Foundation seeks to hasten progress further by awarding grants that help guarantee that new and innovative research avenues are thoroughly funded and explored.

More than $78 million has been funded since November 2000 directly or through partnerships."

Michael J. Fox is not only a famous actor, he is my hero.