Friday, November 27, 1998
Celebrity spokesmen can raise the funds that allow doctors to continue
vital research-
Public, governments tend to listen when the speaker is a star
-By Charlie Gillis--National Post
Facing the delicate issue of soliciting endorsement from a young star
struggling with a debilitating disease, the Canadian Parkinson
Foundation has made gentle inquiries whether Michael J. Fox will lend
his famous name to their cause.
The Toronto-based foundation contacted agents for Fox in Beverly Hills,
Calif., after learning the 37-year-old television star has Parkinson's
disease, a fact he revealed this week in a cover story with People
magazine. Blair McRobie, president and CEO of the foundation, said
yesterday he has not yet received a response from Fox or his
representatives.
The Edmonton-born, Burnaby, B.C.-raised actor is the most well-known
Canadian to struggle with Parkinson's. As the top-billed star of the hit
comedy series Spin City, Fox holds great power to raise awareness about
the disease, and raise funds for research into its causes and potential
treatments.
But Mr. McRobie was quick to add, "I don't want to hear words like
'opportunity' and 'tragedy' in association with this. The point is we're
all looking for help with our particular causes. Having such a
high-profile Canadian with a distinguished acting career carries
potential for recognition and affinity to people with the disorder."
About 100,000 Canadians live with it, many with the help of drugs that
limit its effects.
Fox is not the first public personality to announce he has Parkinson's.
The most well-known to date is former heavyweight boxing champion
Muhammad Ali, whose fighting is believed to have aggravated his
condition. Others who have quietly acknowledged they struggle with it
include Johnny Cash, the singer, Janet Reno, the U.S. attorney-general,
and Bill Reid, the B.C. master of native art who died last March.
The power of celebrity to help fund raising and research efforts is
well-established, especially by film and sports stars such as actor
Rock Hudson and basketball star Magic Johnson, who brought international
attention to AIDS, as well Christopher Reeve, whose riding accident
raised millions of dollars for treatment and understanding of spinal
cord injuries.
Muhammad Ali's decision to become official spokesman of the National
Parkinson Foundation in the U.S., and to carry the Olympic torch at the
1996 Summer Games, drew immediate and intense attention to the disease.
Dr. Anthony Lang, a neurologist at Toronto Hospital and a Parkinson's
researcher, said Fox could wield similar sway in Canada, and help clear
up misconceptions about the disease.
"Seeing somebody so young and dynamic as Michael J. Fox may show people
that this disease doesn't spare any segment of the population," he said.
--
Judith Richards, London, Ontario, Canada
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