Michael J. Fox may bring new awareness to Parkinson's disease

(December 3, 1998 11:04 a.m. EST http://www.nandotimes.com) -- In the past year, there were rumors that he had Lyme disease. The talk about his health continued when Michael J. Fox showed up at a Washington, D.C., rally last spring sporting a surprisingly short haircut. But nearly everyone was taken back by the TV star's announcement last month that he has Parkinson's disease.

"It's not that I had a deep, dark secret," Fox told People magazine. "It was just my thing to deal with."

Fox, star of "Spin City," has been dealing with his illness for the past seven years, ever since he noticed a "twitch" in his left pinkie while filming the movie "Doc Hollywood."

Until last week, only a close circle of family and friends knew. Fox decided to go public now. "I think I can help people by talking," he said in the People interview.

That's what many are hoping. At 37, Fox is dealing with a disease normally associated with older people. Parkinson's afflicts an estimated 1 million Americans - most over 60 - including U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno and the Rev. Billy Graham. Boxing great Muhammad Ali and the pope also have Parkinson-like symptoms. Fox's case, while unusual, is not unheard of. About 10 percent of those with the disease are under 40.

Parkinson's disease is a disorder of the brain that reduces muscle control. Patients often function relatively normally for 10 to 15 years after their diagnosis. The disease is named after the English physician James Parkinson, who in 1817 first described it. Symptoms include trembling hands, rigid muscles, slow movement, balance problems and a mask-like facial expression.

No one knows what causes Parkinson's, and there is no cure. Treatment includes medication and surgery. Fox had brain surgery last year to ease the most serious tremors. A person in the final stages of Parkinson's disease is usually bedridden or in a wheelchair.

"Its a very frustrating disease," says Dr. J. William Langston, president of the Parkinson's Institute in Sunnyvale. "In a way, it's the opposite of Alzheimer's because the patient knows what's going on. ... They become trapped in a body they can't control."

Like many, Langston was shocked by Fox's revelation last week. "No matter what, he is very young," he says of Fox, who is married and has three young children. Langston and others in the Parkinson's community hope Fox brings attention - and research money - to the disease.

"I want to be careful because I don't want to play off someone's misfortune," says Langston. "I think it's remarkable what he's done already. But I hope he takes an active role in raising awareness and funds."

Fox could have a profound impact, say some.

"This may sound strange, but this may be the best thing that has ever happened to Parkinson's patients," says Betty Younger, secretary of the Parkinson's Disease Association in Sacramento, Calif. "He'll bring the public's attention, and hopefully money, to the disease."

If he does, Fox will follow a long line of celebrities who have used their fame to bring attention to an illness. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who had polio, raised funds for the March of Dimes. First lady Betty Ford focused public attention on breast cancer and alcoholism. But perhaps no one has had a greater impact on increasing public awareness on medical research than Christopher Reeve.

The actor, known best for his roles as Superman, was paralyzed when he fell off his horse in 1995. He has been an active fund-raiser for spinal research ever since and has raised millions. The National Institute of Health increased its budget for spinal cord injury research 19 percent shortly after Reeve's injury. Many in the field credit the actor with increasing public awareness. In turn, donations have skyrocketed.

Will Fox play a similar role for Parkinson's disease?

At this point, Fox has not made public any specific commitments. On Friday, he is scheduled to talk about his illness with Barbara Walters on "20/20" (ABC). He is optimistic about a cure.

"I just feel like I've been in God's pocket for so long, I just didn't think that I was going to be hammered with this. That I would find a way to live with it, to learn from it, and deal with it. And I have," he tells Walters, according to an ABC press release.

That's an attitude that's shared by Langston of the Parkinson's Institute. "This is an exciting time in Parkinson's research," says Langston. "It is my hope to find a cause and then a cure within the next five to 10 years."

The Parkinson's Institute conducts several long-term studies, including one involving 19,000 World War II veterans. Physicians studied twins to see what, if any, genetic link exists. They studied the differences between twins who got the disease and those who didn't. The results, which Langston hopes to announce in the next three months, "are promising."

Other treatments in the works include brain stimulation, tissue transplantation and stem cell transplantation, which involves the hybridization of a human cell and a cow egg.

The goal is to grow replacement cells and tissues and transplant them into humans with diseases such as Parkinson's. Critics are troubled by the ethical considerations, and last week President Clinton called on the National Bioethics Advisory Council to study the issue.

Meanwhile, Parkinson's activists are trying to get more money for their cause. Last year, Congress passed the Udall bill - named after Morris Udall, the former Arizona congressman and presidential candidatewho now has the disease - but did not approve any funding. Proponents of the bill, which they say will approve 10 research centers across the country, want to see it funded. "It's a shame, that's all I can say about it," says Younger of Congress's failure to appropriate money for the Udall bill. Younger is optimistic that that may soon change.

"Michael J. Fox has enormous influence," says Younger. "I hope he uses it to show people what this disease does."

In Friday's interview with Walters, Fox is asked whether he considered this diagnosis a tragedy. "No, not by any stretch of the imagination," he tells Walters. "It's my life ... and my life is so filled with positives, so filled with blessings, and so filled with things I wouldn't trade for anything in the world."

JENNIFER BOJORQUEZ writes for the Sacramento Bee in California.
Copyright 1998 Nando Media
Copyright 1998 Scripps-McClatchy Western

janet paterson - 51 now /41 dx /37 onset - almonte/ontario/canada
[log in to unmask]