(30 Sep 1999) English/Nat

Story: Michael J. Fox
Location: Washington DC
Date: September 28th 1999

American actor MICHAEL J. FOX told a Senate hearing Tuesday (28/09) that there was an urgent need to increase funding for research into Parkinsons’ disease.

Fox joined other Parkinson’s advocates urging Congress to increase research funding for the disease by $75 million.

Fox spoke before a crowded hearing of a Senate Appropriations subcommittee chaired by SENATOR ARLEN SPECTER, (RepublicanPennsylvania).

Fox said his days of quietly suffering with the disease were over.

Parkinson’s disease is a degenerative neurological disorder that destroys brain cells that produce dopamine, a chemical important for movement.

Symptoms include muscle stiffening, tremors and difficulty moving.

In 1997, the US Congress authorized the National Institutes of Health to use $100 million to study the disease.

Fox, 38, last year made public that he had been suffering from Parkinson’s disease since 1991. He said he first noticed a twitch in his left little finger while on the set of the film “Doc Hollywood.”

The disease affects about one million Americans, including former heavyweight boxing champion MUHAMMAD ALI and Attorney General JANET RENO.

Fox is the current star of the ABC sitcom “Spin City.” He also starred s in the “Back to the Future” movies.

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AP Archive,155803A,41932411a034f0e6011182f3a768f4ad,ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: MICHAEL J FOX,Michael J. Fox,Arlen Specter,Muhammad Ali,Janet Reno,United States,Government and politics,Environment and nature,Health,Sports