Michael J. Fox Receiving Presidential Medal of Freedom
1.4.2025, 4 minutes reading
Actor and activist Michael J. Fox is being awarded Presidential Medal of Freedom today by President Joe Biden in Washington DC for his devotion and dedication to advocating for Parkinson’s Disease.
Being well known for his starring in the movie of “Back to The Future”, Michael J. Fox was diagnosed with early-onset Parkinson’s disease at age of 29 while he was shooting for the movie “Doc Hollywood”. Ever since his public announcement of the diagnosis in 1998, Michael J. Fox has been a strong advocate for Parkinson’s Disease research. In 2000, he founded Michael J. Fox foundation for Parkinson’s Research to look for cures. In 2006 The foundation has become the "largest private funder of research" into Parkinson's, according to The Guardian. In 2022 the organization funded more Parkinson's research than the US government, according to Town and Country.
In 2010, Michael J. Fox started a program Parkinson's disease with the Parkinson's Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI) to search for the biological markers of Parkinson’s Disease. A study from this program has recently found that α-synuclein from cerebrospinal fluid through seed amplification assays can be used as a marker of early diagnosis.
Michael J. Fox has also received numerous awards and honors for his work in the field of Parkinson’s disease research including:
100 people "whose power, talent or moral example is transforming the world" by Time magazine in 2007.
An honorary doctorate in medicine by Karolinska Institute in 2010
An honorary doctorate of laws by the University of British Columbia.
An honorary degree of Doctor of Laws by the Justice Institute of British Columbia in 2012
The Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award by Governors Awards in 2022
2024 list of influential people in health by Time Magazine's