Community
by ALLISON BOILES
TOM ISAACS:
A LIFE OF
PASSION,
DETERMINATION
AND HOPE
During the earliest years of MJFF and CPT, Debi Brooks
and Michael J. Fox met with Tom Isaacs
Last summer, The Michael J. Fox Foundation (MJFF) joined with the Parkinson’s community around
the world in mourning the loss of Tom Isaacs, patient advocate and visionary leader. In 2005, he
co-founded The Cure Parkinson’s Trust (CPT), a United Kingdom-based charity focused on funding
research and bringing together people with PD to help shape research and advocacy priorities.
Since his unexpected passing on May 31, Tom’s friends worldwide have written publicly to
share their memories of Tom and his impact on Parkinson’s research:
“Tom’s passion, determination and hard work on behalf of everyone living
with Parkinson’s were the hallmark of his life and will be his continuing
legacy in our community. Our Foundation was fortunate to know him and
to partner with The Cure Parkinson’s Trust toward our shared mission to
speed a cure.” — Michael J. Fox
“Tom was a true inspiration.
He was tireless in his
determination to find a
cure for Parkinson’s, right
from the time he was
first diagnosed with the
condition at the age of 27.”
— Steve Ford
chief executive,
Parkinson’s UK
“Tom was so determined
that his Parkinson’s was not
going to define him and
actually what it did was give
him the energy to try and find
a cure. He was not prepared
to take the diagnosis lying
down. He was also absolutely
determined that he wanted to
involve people with Parkinson’s
in helping to find their own
cure. So with those two
missions, The Cure Parkinson’s
Trust came into being.”
— Helen Matthews
chief operating officer,
The Cure Parkinson’s Trust
23
Fall/Winter 2017
“Whether you knew Tom
20 years or one year, his
infectious spirit, sense of
humor and intelligence
would have you under his
spell in a nanosecond. He
was a leader from the day
of his diagnosis and he
dreamed about helping
others with PD to also
become leaders to march
alongside him in his journey
to end Parkinson’s disease.”
— Elizabeth Pollard
executive director,
World Parkinson Congress