Following Black Friday and Cyber Monday, Giving Tuesday is an international day dedicated to giving back to your favorite causes. This year, it falls on November 29. And as in years past, we need your help to put Parkinson's disease (PD) research front and center.
Here are two simple ways to get involved and rally your community to action:
- Make a donation and help us Fox It Forward. Your gift will be matched dollar for dollar. You can also set up a fundraising page and encourage your friends and family to get involved, too.
- Take an #unselfie (an unselfish selfie) and proudly display why you support PD research on social media! Tag @michaeljfoxorg on Twitter and Instagram, or @The Michael J. Fox Foundation on Facebook.
Need inspiration? Here are a few powerful reasons why you and your family and friends should support The Michael J. Fox Foundation this Giving Tuesday:
89 cents of every dollar we spend goes straight to high-impact programs. Efficiency is and always has been one of the Foundation's core values.
A future without Parkinson's disease is closer than ever -- but we still have much to do. Isradipine, a drug currently prescribed to treat high blood pressure, is in Phase III trials as a treatment for PD. Thanks in part to Fox Trial Finder, the Phase III trial recruited all the participants it needed at record speed. And in September, a study testing the safety of the Parkinson's vaccine from AFFiRiS found that a boost dose of the vaccine against alpha-synuclein was safe and elicited antibodies against the protein.
We've made progress against the challenging non-motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease. In April, the FDA approved the first drug indicated for the treatment of hallucinations and delusions associated with Parkinson's disease psychosis. And this year, the Foundation funded new studies to treat anxiety, constipation and sleep quality in PD.
New treatments will soon help existing Parkinson's treatments work more effectively. An under-the-tongue film strip for "off" rescue gained momentum this year. The therapy moved on to Phase II testing and received Fast Track Designation from the FDA, which can speed the drug approval process. In October, a new drug to treat Parkinson's dyskinesia was submitted to the FDA.
We're committed to every step of the drug development process, ensuring drugs can move from the lab to pharmacy shelves. Proving a drug is effective for Parkinson's is not the last step to getting it to patients. Our new public policy efforts position the Foundation to effectively work with federal and state regulators, lawmakers and the PD community to help improve access to care.
An estimated five million people with Parkinson's disease urgently need better treatments and, ultimately, a cure. Advancing age is the most significant risk factor for Parkinson's disease. As the population worldwide ages, experts unfortunately predict that diagnoses will increase.
Help The Michael J. Fox Foundation speed a cure and go out of business. Donate for Giving Tuesday.