Wednesday 21 October 2015 – the exact date destination of Marty McFly’s futuristic flight through time in ‘Back to the Future Part II’
Michael J Fox, who plays the Marty in the ‘Back to the Future’ trilogy, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 1992. He set up the Michael J Fox Foundation in 2000 to raise money for research into curing the disease and the foundation has so far raised more than US$450 million. To mark the special day, here are 21 inspirational quotes from the leading Parkinson’s campaigner:
On living life to the full…
1. “Live in the moment, enjoy the day make the, most of what you have”
The Ellen DeGeneres Show, 2012
2. “Don’t imagine the worst… If you imagine the worst and it happens, you’ve lived it twice”
The Ellen DeGeneres Show, 2012
On coping with his own condition…
3. “I’m always trying to find the perfect cocktail of meditation and I think now I’ve found it”
The Ellen DeGeneres Show, 2012
4. “My life is so filled with positives and blessings, and so filled with things I wouldn’t trade for the world”
The View, 1998
5. “I’ve opened up about Parkinson’s on TV to destigmatise it”
The View, 1998
6. “I refer to having Parkinson’s as a gift. People are dubious about this, but it’s a gift that keeps taking, because it’s really opened me up to more compassion”
Interview on CNN, 2010
7. “It’s not like I take two pills and then at 10am I take another two. It really depends on what chemicals are brewing in my brain that day”
Interview on CNN, 2010
8. “I had a big tremor on my left side, but not on my right. But it got too much so I had brain surgery”
Interview on CNN, 2010
9. “If there’s something they can do that’s curative, I’d do it”
Interview on CNN, 2010
10. “It’s about being comfortable functioning on a day-to-day basis”
Interview on CNN, 2010
On coming to terms with diagnosis…
11. “Often people with Parkinson’s think that if you’re symptomatic it’s reflective of some kind of flaw. It’s not, it’s purely a scientific thing”
Michael J Fox Foundation, ‘Faces of Parkinson’s’, 2014
12. “We may each have our own individual Parkinson’s, but we all share one thing in common. Hope”
Michael J Fox Foundation, ‘Faces of Parkinson’s’, 2014
13. “Genetics loads the gun and the environment pulls the trigger”
Late Show with David Letterman, 2015
14. “Acceptance doesn’t mean resignation”
Michael J Fox Foundation, ‘Faces of Parkinson’s’, 2014
On finding a cure…
17. “There are lots of ways we’re approaching the disease. We think we can find the button that can lead to a cure. I mean, science is hard”
Late Show with David Letterman, 2015
18. “Patients have the right to insist that federal funders and industry pursue anything that’s likely to find a cure”
Interview on CNN, 2010
On what the Foundation means to him…
19. “The Foundation is the most important thing that I’ve ever done”
Interview on CNN, 2010
20. “We do ‘disruptive philanthropy’”
Late Show with David Letterman, 2015
21. “Our foundation is a movement. That’s really important to get people involved and energised. We’re getting more people involved in clinical trials”
Late Show with David Letterman, 2015
And finally in the words of Marty McFly…
“If you put your mind to it you can accomplish anything”
Click the image below to make a donation to the Michael J Fox Foundation
