Genia Brin is thoughtful, soft-spoken and not given to hyperbole. When asked about her son and daughter-in-law’s $50-million fundraising challenge to The Michael J. Fox Foundation, with characteristic understatement she deems it “ambitious.”
“Sergey and Anne make good decisions, and I’ve been very proud of them and all they’ve done for the Foundation,” she adds.
That’s Sergey (Brin, co-founder of Google), and Anne (Wojcicki, co-founder of personal genetics company 23andMe), a Silicon Valley power couple doing everything they can to help speed a cure for Parkinson’s disease. In addition to the genetics research under way through 23andMe’s Parkinson’s Research Community, the husband and wife are longtime supporters of MJFF. Early in 2011, they announced their intention to match up to $50 million in new and increased gifts to MJFF through December 31, 2012. They will also match gifts from donors who have not given to the Foundation since 2010 or earlier. The Challenge increases MJFF’s capacity to fund research that would otherwise go unfunded and tackle key roadblocks that prohibit progress toward better outcomes for patients.
More than 25,000 individuals, corporations and foundations joined the Challenge in 2011. To date, the Foundation has earned an astonishing $35 million toward the $50-million goal. Now, in the final months, MJFF must raise $15 million.
When asked about her hopes for the Challenge, Genia says simply: “That the Foundation can do more of the same — fund research both to find a cure and produce medications that can improve patients’ lives today.”
A former NASA scientist, Genia was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 1998 at age 50. Both she and Sergey carry a mutation in their LRRK2 gene, the single greatest genetic contributor to Parkinson’s discovered to date.
A member of the MJFF Patient Council since its inception in 2009, Genia appreciates the deepened understanding she’s gained of the Foundation’s work. She has enjoyed interacting with MJFF staff members and weighing in on Foundation initiatives, especially the launch of Fox Trial Finder and strategies for patient education and outreach. “They’re definitely on the right track,” she says. She has completed her profile on Fox Trial Finder and looks forward to connecting with a suitable trial when she finds the right one. And she hopes people will be inspired to join the Challenge.
“It’s important to get the full match,” she says. “It would be silly to leave dollars on the table. For those of us who are patients, we simply can’t afford to.”
There’s still time to join the Challenge and this incredible movement. A gift of any size in 2012 is a chance to help speed research and better treatments for millions of Parkinson’s patients worldwide. Double your impact now! Visit michaeljfox.org/challenge.