Mike is a New Jersey-based retiree who divides his time between twice-a-week motorcycling and fly fishing outings and an occasional round of golf. He was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2000, the same year that the Foundation was launched. Mike and his wife, Sandra, connected with MJFF as they sought out resources for managing his care and navigating the changes PD brought to their lives.

The more he learned, the more Mike wanted to engage with research and volunteer to help drive potential disease-modifying treatments. To date, Mike has taken part in five studies through Fox Trial Finder, MJFF’s clinical trial online matching tool.

He believes that the actions of patients, caregivers and family are critical to research progress and that his involvement with clinical trials has helped him and Sandra foster a proactive approach to his care. He describes their attitude as “80 percent” of what’s helped him continue to live an engaged, active life with PD.

Mike stays connected to MJFF through trial participation and research updates. “I love the way the Foundation is run, and how it fast tracks funds to research,” he says. “There’s no question for me that they will help find a cure. I do not want another generation to live with Parkinson’s.”

It is for this reason that Mike has chosen to leave a part of his estate to the Foundation. With a variety of planned giving options, MJFF supporters are able to help drive today’s advances while also providing a complementary source of capital that the Foundation can plan around.

To learn more about planned giving and the Legacy Circle recognizing friends who have included MJFF in estate plans, please click here or contact Shirley Nagar at plannedgiving@michaeljfox.org.