Hollywood actor Michael J. Fox (“Back to the Future”) has been honored with a newly created award at the “Bits & Pretzels HealthTech” start-up festival. The 61-year-old, who suffers from Parkinson’s disease, accepted the “Frontier Award” in person on Tuesday evening in Munich from the doctor and TV presenter Eckart von Hirschhausen.
Fox, who was recognized for his commitment to Parkinson’s research, also spoke about his condition: “I don’t want to cure Parkinson’s for myself, I want to cure Parkinson’s for the people in the future,” he said. Fox was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease at the age of 29. According to his own statements, the actor hid his diagnosis from the public for seven years. “I was afraid they would stop laughing if they thought I was sick,” the comedy actor told the festival audience.
His foundation, the Michael J. Fox Foundation, is now the largest private sponsor of Parkinson’s research worldwide – over a billion dollars have been raised for research in the last 23 years, he said. “Bits & Pretzels HealthTech” is an offshoot of the start-up fair “Bits & Pretzels”, which has been taking place during the Oktoberfest in Munich for several years.