In his best-selling memoir, Always Looking Up, Michael J. Fox describes the morning routine he and his disease have carried out for more than a decade. "I swing my legs around to the side of the bed, and the instant my feet hit the floor, the two of them are in an argument." The actor illustrates how his left hand battles to remove the toothbrush from his right hand, "shaking the brush loose as though disarming a knife-wielding attacker."
Though he uses a light-hearted sense of humor in his account of life with Parkinson’s, the yet-incurable disease is no laughing matter; this laborious morning is ritual is a reality for Fox and more than 6 million others worldwide who suffer from the degenerative nerve disease.
But there is still hope. The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research has announced that its 2009 Rapid Response Innovation awards reached $2.1 million; the money was – and is – used for therapeutic research.
The funds provided this year might help improve the lifestyle for people who currently have the disease, and might make it more bearable for those who remain undiagnosed. According to Ezilion Infobase, one person in every 200 will be diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in their lifetime. Even with no cure in sight, the Rapid Response Innovation projects could provide treatments that will alleviate the disconnect between brain and body caused by Parkinson’s.
The money went toward therapeutic development of high-risk, high-reward approaches to treatments for the disease. Researchers received grants for projects revolving around neuroprotective approaches, therapies to alleviate symptoms, therapeutic targets for genes associated with Parkinson’s disease, and more.
Hopefully, Fox’s donations and his own high spirits can offer hope to others with Parkinson’s disease. As Fox says, once the morning tasks for the day are done, "It just gets better from here." 
As an associate director of communications for The Michael J. Fox Foundation, I’d like to thank you for highlighting our Rapid Response Innovation Awards program. As Rapid Response is one of many MJFF research programs, our total funding figure for 2009 reached over $40 million in grant awards. And we couldn’t have done it without the dedication of our many generous supporters. Thanks again for the post!
felicito a michael por tan digna labor, y es lamentable que muchas personas ignorante digan que esta asi por consumo de ciertas drogas! la crueldad del ser humano sobrepasa lo imaginable, pero hablando en positivo creo que la fuerza de michael es admirable ver como sigue trabajando por la fundacion organizando eventos para recaudar fondos para seguir investigando y aun asi sacar tiempo para las personas que como yo le gusta ver actuar!! ojala que puedan hallar una cura, para dios nada es imposible, y aseguro que las personas que tienen esta enfermedad y ven a personas luchando sin temor es un gran alivio y les da esperanza!! sigue luchando y haciendote escuchar atraves de la fundacion… mil bendiciones.
Gracias por sus comentarios. Michael J. Fox es una inspiración a todos de nosotros. Yo lo he oído hablar, y él todavía mantiene una actitud positivo. El es una persona incredible. Con su trabajo,yo creo que Parkinson’s Disease será derrotada. (Thank you for your comments. Michael J. Fox is an inspiration to us all. I have heard him speak, and he still maintains a positive attitude. He is an incredible person. With his work, I believe Parkinson’s Disease will be defeated).