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Michael J Fox's latest effort to help Parkinson's sufferers was a walk in the park. The 43-year-old, who has been fighting the disease for over a decade, was joined by his wife Tracy and three of their four children for a special fundraising stroll through New York's Central Park.
Casually dressed in chinos and a denim jacket, the actor took his daughter Aquinnah's hand as they enjoyed the spring sunshine. Nine-year-old Schuyler and her older brother Sam, who is 15, also went along for the Parkinson's Unity Walk.
At the end of the event the proud youngsters watched their father give a speech for all those who had turned out to show their support. Since he was diagnosed with the disease 14 years ago, Michael has become a leading figure in the search for a cure.
The performer first found out he had Parkinson's back in 1991 while working on the film Doc Hollywood. When he first noticed a tremor in his finger he assumed it was nothing to worry about, but later that year he was diagnosed with the degenerative illness.
At first he decided to keep his condition a secret and carefully timed doses of medication enabled him to keep working. As the years rolled by it became more and more difficult to mask, however, and in 1998 he went public. Two years later, when the illness forced him to quit the popular comedy series Spin City, he founded the Michael J Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research.
The MJFF has raised over $50 million dollars in the past five years and Michael remains confident they will find a cure soon. The disease, which attacks the central nervous system, affects an estimated 6.3 million people worldwide. |
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