Embracing My Changing Role
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Zoe Butchen
Zoe’ s dad, Jeff, was diagnosed when she was 14.
I work at The Michael J. Fox Foundation, and my dad has Parkinson’ s. My mom is the main care partner. I was 14 when my dad was diagnosed, and my role has changed over time. I’ ve learned what questions to ask and how I can be more involved— maybe not as a primary care partner, but as support for my mom, too. She handles so much of the detail-oriented aspects of my dad’ s care— the phone calls and the doctor’ s appointments— but now I can step in as well.
One unique aspect of our situation is that my mom, brother and I will talk about the things the three of us are noticing about my dad. We can bring those things to a full family conversation, so my mom doesn’ t feel quite so alone in addressing them. We’ re not ganging up on him but serving as an extra set of eyes.
There’ s privilege in my position; I still get to be the daughter. I’ m maybe not the best person to advise my dad on whether he needs a nap or what medications he should take. But I can bring up smaller things, like changes we’ ve discussed with his movement disorder specialist, and help with that. Sometimes we do brain activities; I’ ll quiz him on my friends’ names and give him a bit of a hard time( jokingly) for not remembering them.
When my dad was first diagnosed, it was important to my family to be a part of, and give back to, a community that impacted families like ours. Little did we know how much MJFF would impact our lives. From 2014 to 2024, my Team Fox campaign Dance Shake Donate raised $ 168,000. What began as a social media challenge turned into a series of community events, including a shutdown of main street in my hometown with over 1,000 people!
I’ ve continued fundraising for MJFF and taken on new endurance challenges. In 2025, I traveled to Guatemala to participate in the 3 Volcano Challenge alongside other passionate members of Team Fox and raised $ 20,000 for Parkinson’ s research. I’ ve both danced and climbed toward a cure, and I’ m ready to take on whatever’ s next.
The Team Fox community has brought so much joy to this Parkinson’ s journey. Attending the MVP Celebration Weekend( an event to recognize top MJFF fundraisers) with my dad year after year has brought us together in unimaginable ways. The people we’ ve met along the way have given us hope and inspired us. As a kid, I dreamed about one day being like the MJFF staff who supported me as a young Team Fox-er, and today, that dream is my reality. Working at MJFF feels like a true full-circle moment.
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