In 1957, William Black, President of Chock full o'Nuts coffee company, founded the Parkinson's Disease Foundation (PDF) after one of his company's employees was diagnosed with Parkinson's. Black launched the organization with a $250,000 grant to support Parkinson's Research. While at first a regional organization, PDF expanded the scope of its activities throughout the U.S., and merged with the United Parkinson Foundation in 1999. Today, PDF focuses on funding research to learn the causes of and find a cure for Parkinson's, as well providing education and support for people with Parkinson's in the U.S. Since it was founded in 1957, PDF has provided more than $80 million to research.
PDF also leads PDtrials, a collaborative initiative of Parkinson’s organizations dedicated to increasing education and awareness about clinical research. Central to this initiative is the www.pdtrials.org website that provides information and education about Parkinson's clinical research, and provides a portal for people with Parkinson's to search for specific clinical trials using criteria such as location, trial type, and symptom.
Another famous sufferer of young-onset Parkinson's is Michael J. Fox, whose book, ''Lucky Man'' (2000), focused on his experiences with the disease and his career and family travails in the midst of it. Fox established ''The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research'' to develop a cure for Parkinson's disease within this decade.
Another foundation that supports Parkinson's research was established by Davis Phinney, a notable figure in the cycling world. Phinney has competed in the Olympics, Pan-Am Games and has competed as a pro-cyclist for nearly twenty years. The Davis Phinney Foundation strives to improve the lives of those living with Parkinson's disease.
