Michael J. Fox Receives 2023 Elevate Prize Catalyst Award At Clinton Global Initiative
NEW YORK – Michael J. Fox, the “Back to the Future” star and philanthropist, received this year’s Elevate Prize Catalyst Award, which he hopes to use to expand his foundation’s mission to find therapies for Parkinson’s disease.
Fox, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease at the age of 29 in 1991, received the award on Tuesday in New York at the Clinton Global Initiative, or CGI, conference. The yearly prize, awarded to Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai last year, comprises a $250,000 grant from the Elevate Prize Foundation and assistance in amplifying the winner’s message.
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who interviewed Fox onstage at CGI, lauded him for achievements in Parkinson’s research. “I don’t think this work would have progressed as far as it has because Michael was so open,” she said.
Fox stated that after receiving support from his family following his diagnosis, he did not hesitate to go public with his condition.
“There’s such shame associated with this illness,” Fox explained. “It’s crazy, this huge need to keep it hidden. The awful thing about it is that it will eventually expose you.”
Michael J. Fox, the “Back to the Future” star and philanthropist, received this year’s Elevate Prize Catalyst Award.
However, he stated that the only option is to “keep trying to move the ball forward — whether it’s world peace, climate change, or this disease.”
Former President Bill Clinton was “awestruck” by Fox’s performance. “I’ve known Michael J. Fox for a long time, and he looks better and better every time I see him,” he added. “He is a brave, good man.”
As he presented Fox with the honor, Joseph Deitch, creator of The Elevate Prize Foundation, termed him a “lightning rod for good.”
“He is an icon,” Elevate Prize Foundation CEO Carolina Garcia Jayaram said in an interview with The Associated Press. “He was able to use the power of his story to introduce to so many people what this disease was and make us care about it.”
Garcia Jayaram said Fox exemplifies this year’s CGI theme of “Keep Going” and was “the perfect person at the perfect time” since the more than $2 billion Fox’s organization has raised for research since its inception in 2000 has made a significant breakthrough in the understanding of the disease.
Michael J. Fox, the “Back to the Future” star and philanthropist, received this year’s Elevate Prize Catalyst Award.
“I just can’t think of a better person to inspire us all to face our challenges with that much stamina, honesty, and vulnerability,” Garcia Jayaram remarked. “It’s frightening to be that vulnerable and share something so personal to you and your family, especially when your job is to be a public figure.” He went ahead and did it anyway. Nothing is going to stop him.”
The Michael J. Fox Foundation’s co-founder and CEO, Deborah Brooks, said the honor comes at a critical time for the organization. A biomarker for Parkinson’s disease was discovered for the first time in April, a “seismic shift” that will boost the prospects of developing treatments and tests to detect the condition in living people.
“We’re thrilled that this kind of recognition allows him to assist us in continuing to move at what feels like a warp speed in terms of driving progress on some of the most exciting things going on in neuroscience right now,” Brooks said.
According to Brooks, new advances will necessitate hundreds of millions, if not billions, of dollars in research and more testing participants. On the other hand, Fox intends to utilize the prize to expand his reputation and create awareness about how people may help.
“Patients and families want to be a part of the solution they are looking for,” Brooks said, adding that the foundation launched the Fox Trial Finder, which connects people to potential testing programs. “Often, they have no idea how that manifests, and so it’s always been part of our message.”
SOURCE – (AP)
