9. Michael J. Fox

Michael J. Fox, best known for his portrayal of Marty McFly in Back To The Future, has been living with Parkinson’s disease since 1991, but didn’t disclose his condition to the public until 1998.

He semi-retired from acting in 2000 when his symptoms worsened, and has since been a very strong advocate for finding a cure for Parkinson’s.

The Canadian-born actor started drinking heavily after receiving his diagnosis, but later sobered up and decided to go public with his condition. Fox controls the symptoms with a drug called Sinemet, and he also underwent a thalamotomy, a surgery where a part of the thalamus is destroyed to reduce the complications associated with the disease.

Parkinson’s disease in and of itself does not lead to death, but it does lead to health problems that may cause death, such as severe pneumonia or a fall that results in serious injuries or worse. The actor has been praised for his fight against the disease on many occasions and his strong advocacy is certainly admirable.

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The Michael J. Fox foundation has been supporting every promising research path towards a cure, including embryonic stem cell research, as well as raising awareness about living with Parkinson’s disease.