Seeing such a successful and influential actor like Michael J Fox endure such a painful, degenerative disease has been influential in bringing great awareness to Parkinson’s Disease and the desperate necessity to fund research into this complex illness. Now, the Michael J Fox Foundation has auctioned off Marty McFly’s single, crumbling left shoe from the Back to the Future sequel to raise money for research and awareness.
The futuristic, “fast strap,” Nike shoe stunned audiences when it sold at auction for over 97 thousand dollars. The 1989 film showed Michael J. Fox as Marty McFly wearing futuristic shoes in the year 2015, acting as an interesting reflection on the progression of culture versus what late 80’s media predicted would occur. These iconic shoes are in such delicate condition that they could not be shipped from their current display at Nike Headquarters, and instead must be picked up locally in Portland, Oregon.
Despite the “pick up only” requirement for the Ebay auction, almost 250 individuals made a bid for the single shoe. Although the shoe was previously just movie memorabilia, it now represented a work of art as well as a generous contribution to Parkinson’s research.
Since the inception of the foundation over 20 years ago, the Michael J Fox Foundation has invested over $650 million dollars into Parkinson’s research. Parkinson’s is a degenerative brain disease that eliminates dopamine and leads to tremors and memory loss. Although there are treatments to alleviate symptoms and prolong onset, there is still no viable treatment. Research done by Fox and other organizations will hopefully continue to benefit the patients and help battle Parkinson’s.
