Michael J. Fox on how far Parkinson’s research has come: “We don’t want to be celebrated. We want to get things done.”
When Michael J. Fox was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease at age 29, his clearest symptom was a small one — his pinky finger was twitching. But even by that stage, 70-80% of a patient’s dopamine-producing cells are already gone, Fox said.
“What happens in that time, that shadowy place?” Fox said, referring to the period before his pinky finger first started twitching. Thanks to advances in Parkinson’s research, he said while speaking virtually at the STAT Summit in Boston on Thursday, “We can solve that now, we can answer that question — we can say here’s what’s happening, and here’s where we stop it.”
