March 31, 2009 – Actor/advocate Michael J. Fox appeared as a guest on Oprah Winfrey’s show on Tuesday to talk about his life with Parkinson’s disease, his upcoming book, and advancements being made in Parkinson’s research.
In 1991, Fox was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease and forced to semi-retire from his successful career as an actor in 2000 as his condition worsened. For this reason, he established the Michael J. Fox Foundation to help advance Parkinson’s disease research through embryonic stem cell studies in an effort to find a cure for millions.
In an interview with Katie Couric, Fox explained his political advocacy: "I'm in this situation with millions of other Americans... and we have a right, if there are answers out there, to pursue those answers with the full support of our politicians".
Joining Oprah and Dr. Oz, Fox says that on the day the federal ban on embryonic stem cell research was lifted, "I was in Bhutan. I was in the Himalayas. So I wanted to get back, but the Himalayas are not that easy to get out of."
Fox further added, "It was absolutely crucial that this research be unfettered and allow us to go forward in a responsible way. But it really needed to happen - and candidate Obama made a commitment to it and President Obama came through on that commitment -- and it's an exciting day."
"I'm a dad. I'm a husband. I'm an activist. I'm a writer," Michael J. Fox said during the interview. "This is just one fact of my life. It doesn't define me."
To the stem cell community, Michael J. Fox is more than all of that – he is a hero. The Michael J. Fox Foundation has funded $142 million in research in an effort to find a cure for Parkinson’s and Fox has spent a majority of the past decade as an activist for stem cell research.
In 2006, Fox appeared in a taped interview on ABC's Good Morning America defending the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act that would have expanded federal funding for stem cell research. The bill was not enacted, however, due to a veto by President George W. Bush.
More recently, Michael is featured in “The Accidental Advocate,” a compelling story about a father and daughter who track down the thinkers, the politicians, the crusaders and the naysayers in an effort to understand the potential of the science and why a political quagmire is stalling a cure.
Fox has been a true pioneer in the field of stem cell research and an inspiration to all who share his enthusiasm for the cause.
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