To Michael J Fox – Thank you

I don’t have his email address and he is probably inundated with messages so I will make this an open letter to him. Michael J Fox won the US Presidential Medal of Freedom – the highest award that can be given to an American.

Dear Michael J Fox,

As a child aged 10, I watched and rewatched Back to the Future. I could wax lyrical about the movie but that is not the point of the letter 🙂

When I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s 5 years ago, the only person I knew in the world who had PD was you. I immediately recalled a memory of seeing you deliberately come off your meds to show the effects of PD – and it scared me to the core. It was a very scary moment but I also quick came across – almost a second or so later your attitude in the face of the disease.

My journey with you continued through the resources your charity curated, helping me get up to speed with the disease. I then had the chance to cry the whole way through your film on Apple TV – Still.

I am truly grateful to you and hold you in the highest regard for three things you have done. Firstly, your desire to be open, honest (pain and all), and ‘out there’ has truly helped millions of us in the adjustment phase. Secondly, your strength of character to give of yourself for the disease and its sufferers. You have given us all hope both in your strength and the work you have put behind it. Thirdly, I got a glimpse in the film of the way you have stayed ‘real’ with your family, making light of and including PD in the collective spirit and journey of the family. It seems that your team at the Michael J Fox foundation have followed your example. You have been able to change the world and in a true, honest and yet formidable way. It is really an example to look up to.

In a Whatsapp Group I set up for patients of PD on the Vyalev/Produadopa pump you were described by one of the group as their Jedi Grand Master in The Way of the Force. I know what he means.

As I look at my very small world, I have a real fire in my belly to tackle this disease head-on and, in the process, to do it as part of my life together with my family and to do it in a way that ideally helps others. You are a true example. It will, of course, be on a tiny scale impacting a very small number, but I will try.

That is my reason for blogging despite my natural introversion.

Thank you, Michael, and wishing you many more years setting a shining example. It can’t be easy being in the glare of the world’s media, and I assume you have bad moments, but from this patient over here in Israel – I am eternally grateful.

You truly deserve the award you have been given – as does your family for their support.

Kind regards,

Ben