Yearly Archives: 2012

Michael J. Fox’s Heroic Battle With Parkinson’s Disease

Activist Heroes, Celebrity Heroes

By Scott T. Allison and George R. Goethals

In a previous blog post, we discussed the courageous story of actor Christopher Reeve, who suffered a paralyzing accident in the prime of his life.  With the help and support of his remarkable wife Dana, Christopher emerged as a gutsy champion of philanthropic causes and an inspiring hero to millions of people.  A similar story describes the life of actor Michael J. Fox.  An ultra-successful artist and comedic talent, Fox contracted Parkinson’s disease as a young man and has waged a courageous and inspiring battle ever since.

Fox first made his mark in Hollywood in his portrayal as teenager Alex Keaton in the popular television series Family Ties during the 1980s.  He then made the successful transition to feature films, his breakthrough performance coming in the blockbuster film trilogy Back to the Future.  Fox was on top of the world.  He was rich, handsome, talented, and wildly successful at his craft.  He even married the woman of his dreams, Tracy Pollan, in 1988.

Fox’s life then took a tragic, unexpected turn.  In 1991, he received the devastating diagnosis from doctors:  He had Parkinson’s disease, an incurable degenerative illness that attacks the central nervous system.  Fox continued his acting career while taking medications and undergoing numerous medical procedures.  But while starring in the hit television series Spin City ten years ago, he went public with his disease, acknowledging his steady decline and his need to curtail his acting.

His goals during his semi-retirement have been twofold:  Spend more time with his wife Tracy and their four children, and devote his remaining energies toward finding a cure for Parkinson’s.  Fox has been a workhorse in that regard.  His foundation, the Michael J. Fox Foundation, was created to help promote and support research aimed at curing Parkinson’s disease, primarily through embryonic stem cell studies.

Fox has testified a number of times before Congress to increase federal funding to defeat Parkinson’s.  He’s also rallied support from both Democrats and Republicans, using his fame and inspirational story to garner funding for his cause.  Said Fox: “Medical science has proven time and again that when the resources are provided, great progress in the treatment, cure, and prevention of disease can occur.”

The life we plan to lead is rarely the life we actually lead.  Twenty years ago, Michael J. Fox probably thought that he’d only make his mark in the world as an entertainer.  Life threw him a cruel curve, however.  Like many heroes, Fox has risen to the challenge with great aplomb and grace.  Rather than moving people with his acting, he is moving people in a far more significant and life-affirming way:  As a tireless advocate of funding and research aimed at defeating his crippling disease.  Fox’s steadfast commitment to triumphing over adversity is truly heroic.

Fox’s work has earned him some well-deserved recognition:  In 2007, Time Magazine named him one of the 100 people “whose power, talent or moral example is transforming the world.”  We wish him well on his remarkable journey.

Below is a clip from Katie Couric’s interview with Michael J. Fox in 2006.

Over Two Million People Have Visited This Heroes Blog

2 MILLION+ Visitors to this Blog,

People thirst for heroes. Back in 2010, on the eve of the release of our first book, Heroes: What They Do & Why We Need them, we decided to blog about them.

Little did we know that a decade later our heroes blog would be visited by over two million people. We’ve had visitors from all 50 states and 250 countries.

The 20 nations who visit our blog most frequently are the U.S., Britain, Canada, France, Australia, the Philippines, India, Germany, Malaysia, Indonesia, Brazil, New Zealand, China, South Africa, Singapore, and Mexico.  We thank all of you for visiting us, leaving comments on our blog posts, and giving us helpful feedback and suggestions.

The top 10 U.S. states to visit us are, in order, California, Texas, New York, Virginia, Florida, Illinois, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, and Ohio.

What is it about heroes that has us longing for them? Like this blog, heroism science is only a decade old, but we’re learning more and more about why the world hungers for heroes. A number of researchers have identified 12 functions of heroes:

  1. Heroes give us hope
  2. Heroes energize us
  3. Heroes develop us
  4. Heroes heal us
  5. Heroes impart wisdom
  6. Heroes are role models for morality
  7. Heroes offer safety and protection
  8. Heroes give us positive emotions
  9. Heroes give us meaning and purpose
  10. Heroes provide social connection and reduce loneliness
  11. Heroes help individuals achieve personal goals
  12. Heroes help society achieve societal goals

We’ve been studying heroes for many years and we’ve discovered many phenomena related to heroism. So please do suggest some names for us to profile, or issues for us to address in commentary pieces.  In the mean time, thanks so much for visiting us and for supporting today’s heroes.

–— Scott Allison and George Goethals, Professors of Psychology and Leadership Studies

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Personal versus Cultural Heroes

Commentary and Analysis

By Scott T. Allison and George R. Goethals

When you think of specific heroes, what people come to mind?  In our initial survey of people’s heroes, we would often get two different kinds of answers to this question.  Some people would list the names of their parents, teachers, coaches, and other individuals close to them.  But other people would list the names of some of the classic heroes that every American learns about in school: Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., Abraham Lincoln, and other legendary figures.

Why two different lists?  It turns out that how you word the survey question makes a big difference.  We discovered that when you ask people to “list your heroes,” they list their family members and mentors.  But when you ask people to “list the names of heroes,” they list the more famous, larger-than-life, cultural heroes.  Apparently, we have two separate mental reservoirs of heroes, one that contains the names of people who heroically made a difference in our own personal lives, and another that contains the names of society’s most heroic legends.

You may not be surprised at all by this.  But it caught us off-guard.  We didn’t think that the inclusion of the pronoun “your” in the question would make a difference. But it certainly did.  Our survey respondents appear to be telling us that Gandhi is a hero but not their hero.   We apparently claim ownership of heroes who personally affect us.  They are our heroes.  But we deflect ownership, or perhaps share ownership, of famous heroes who have re-shaped entire societies.

When we first set out to study heroes, we had no idea that there were so many different distinctions and dichotomies that characterize heroes.  This distinction between personal and cultural heroes is the latest, and there have been many others.  Moral heroes versus ability-based heroes.  Global heroes versus specific heroes.  Direct heroes versus indirect heroes.  True heroes versus false heroes.  Split-second heroes versus lifetime heroes.  The list goes on and on, and it is proof that heroism is a complex, multi-faceted phenomenon.

Our experience here also illustrates the perils and pitfalls of psychometrics.  Psychologists always must be careful in how they measure responses in a survey.  Sometimes we think we’re measuring one thing but we’re actually measuring something entirely different.  And seemingly minor changes in the wording of a question can often yield very different results.

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Caregivers: Heroes with a Different Kind of Courage

Unsung Heroes

By Linda Brendle

A hero is defined as a person who is admired for courage or noble qualities or is the main character in a book, play or movie who is typically identified with good qualities. A caregiver is defined as a family member or paid helper who regularly takes care of a child or a sick, elderly, or disabled person.  In many cases, the hero and the caregiver are the same person.

Heroism often involves acts of courage. Facing a life of caring for a child with cerebral palsy who will never walk or talk or learn to care for himself takes a different kind of courage than facing the bullets of an enemy, a kind of courage that puts careers, relationships, plans, privacy, and personal lives on hold. Caring for a parent facing the ravages of Alzheimer’s and old age requires the courage to watch helplessly as a loved one slips away, one ability at a time, one memory at a time.

Aunt Fay is a courageous woman. At a time when her five children were grown and gone, and she and Uncle Dean were beginning to enjoy the benefits of an empty nest, she took in her widowed mother and spent the next decade or so caring for the woman who gave her life. Like all heroes, she didn’t count the cost of sleepless nights, cold meals, or missed vacations but rather did what needed to be done for someone who could not help herself. When Aunt Fay could no longer care for Granny Hagan in her home, she chose a suitable care facility and continued to fight for her through the web of red tape and the bureaucracy of aging in our modern society.

After Granny died, Aunt Fay and Uncle Dean enjoyed several years of special time together. Then came the brain tumor. Uncle Dean was incapacitated, and Aunt Fay became a caregiver again. Once more she dealt with doctors, wheelchairs, baths, medications, insurance, facing it all with grace and nobility.

Jim is my older brother, and one of the things he loves about being older is being a grandpa. He has eight grandchildren, and loves them all dearly, but Kyle is special. Jim was at the hospital when Kyle was born, when he began having seizures, when the doctors examined and tested and announced that he had cerebral palsy. Kyle is now 15, and through the years, Jim has been one of his caregivers, spending as much time with him as possible. There have been times when circumstances separated them by miles, but there has always been a heart connection. Jim has never been afraid of or put off by the messiness of loving Kyle. He dresses him, bathes him, moves him from car to wheelchair to bed, feeds him, always with a good deal of teasing, but also with gentleness and caring.

Becoming a hero or a caregiver is not something a person plans to do. Heroism is often thrust on a person, but caregiving sometimes creeps up on you. Mom began showing signs of memory loss more than 15 years ago. At first it was more a source of irritation than anything else, but after several years, it began causing problems, especially when Dad started exhibiting some of the same symptoms. I lived close and dropped in often for a visit, so it seemed natural to check on the freshness of the food in their refrigerator or the cleanliness of their bathrooms. Gradually I began accompanying them on doctors’ visits and supervising their daily medications, and eventually they moved in with me. That’s when Aunt Fay and Jim became my personal heroes. She offered wise advice from her own experiences, cried and prayed with me through many crises, and reassured me when I second guessed my decisions. And when I reached critical mass and called Jim to say I can’t do this anymore, he picked up the reins and stepped in as Mom and Dad’s primary caregiver.

Like heroes, caregivers are admired for their courage in the face of adversity and their noble character that causes them to handle ignoble tasks with grace and love. Caregivers may never be the main character in a book, play or movie, but they are definitely the main characters in the lives of those in their care. Yes, caregivers are heroes, too.

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Linda Brendle is retired and lives with her husband David in Emory, Texas. She writes about caregiving, faith, and family at http://www.LifeAfterCaregiving.WordPress.com. You can also find her on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/linda.brendle) and Twitter (https://twitter.com/#!/LindaBrendle).

Heroes of a Different Kind

Activist Heroes

By Sande Rose Waybill

Tibet has produced two very different kinds of hero during the past 60 years. Formerly, the main hero figure for many Tibetans was H.H.D.L. – the Dalai Lama who won the Nobel peace prize and who is currently in exile. Many Tibetans and followers of Buddhism from around the world look upon the Dalai Lama as a role model and knowledgeable advisor — two attributes of a successful hero.  However, in 2011 predominantly, a new type of hero has emerged from Tibet; one of lesser official standing, yet equal in courage.

Throughout 2011, roughly 22 Tibetans set fire to themselves with the purpose of drawing attention to their nations’ predicament.  The majority of these self-immolators were young monks, nuns, and former monks.  They were desperate to get the world’s attention turned upon the continuing suffering within their country, with little thought to their own well-being. They have faced pain, death, and the possibility of Chinese mistreatment — yet they stood up bravely and heroically for their cause.

Since the Chinese invaded Tibet in the 1950’s, disruptions have continued within the nation. Lay Tibetans are no longer free to practice their religion or culture in peace and safety. Monks and nuns are not free to pray, practice, and study, but are forced to renounce their leader HHDL and endure re-education programs and other forms of ‘patriotic’ instruction. One can be punished, jailed, tortured, or even killed just for adhering to what one believes, if the Chinese do not approve.

After more than half a century of suffering, some courageous Tibetans have stepped forward and self immolated — shouting out their hopes and needs as they do so. Hoping that this will bring action from the outside world, they face the threat of death, willingly. If they are saved from the flames, the Chinese are known to treat them as if they were criminals; they beat them as punishment and prevent onlookers from offering assistance. Many self-immolators are now deceased, while some are hospitalized or imprisoned.

Yet still these brave heroes are stepping forward at a rate of more than one a month.  These Tibetans have fought their own selves to shout out for their country, family and friends, culture, religion, and their freedom.  Their actions are a form of altruistic suicide, intended to better the common good.  These individuals put aside their own comfort and safety to stand up for what they believe in — hoping that the world outside will hear and act.

Here are the names and current condition of those self-immolators now belonging in the ranks of Tibetan heroes.

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Born in the mid-sixties, Sande Rose Waybill returned to England after experiencing more than 20 years of Australian life. Formerly a gardener, nurse, saleswoman, creche care worker, nude model, home schooling mom, and freelance writer/photographer, she now cares FT for an elderly parent whilst still blogging. Her interests include ornithology, Buddhist philosophy & practice, Yoga, Indian cuisine, and the music scene in San Francisco. She likes to indulge in incense, red wine, meditation and reading.

Superman’s Song: Transfiguring a Superhero

Superheroes

By Scott T. Allison and George R. Goethals

It actually seems strange that so few of our blogs here have been devoted to superheroes.  By definition, they are the perfect representation of the way people think about heroes.  They have all the key personal attributes.  In our book, we reported the traits that research participants used to describe heroes.  We called them the Great Eight.  And Superman, the quintessential superhero, illustrates them better than almost anyone.  The “Man of Steel” who “fights a never-ending battle for truth, justice, and the American way” is Strong, Smart, Selfless, Caring, Charismatic, Resilient, Reliable and Inspiring.  Perhaps Superman’s most obvious heroic characteristic is Strong, but he does pretty well on all the others.

So it would seem that there would be little need to embellish the myth further, and make Superman a Transfigured Hero.  Yet one of the most interesting recent portrayals of Superman does exactly that.  In the 1991 music video by the band Crash Test Dummies, Superman’s Song is a dirge sung at the Man of Steel’s funeral, with some aging superheroes in attendance.  One of them appears to be a slightly overweight, middle-aged Wonder Woman and another might be an elderly Green Lantern.

The song’s chorus emphasizes Superman’s selflessness:  “Superman never made any money, for saving the world from Solomon Grundy.”  That characterization is not particularly new.   But a twist on the selflessness theme suggests that Superman had to overcome temptations to stay on the straight and narrow.  Heroic narratives recount the ways our heroes struggle to overcome obstacles, both internal and external.  There weren’t many external obstacles that really tested Superman, but resisting such deadly sins as Greed and Sloth suggests overcoming internal ones.

Regarding greed, the song claims that Superman “had a real job, even though he could have smashed through any bank in the United States, he had the strength, but he would not.”  Regarding sloth, we hear “sometimes when Supe was stopping crimes, I’ll bet that he was tempted to just quit and turn his back on man.”  But not Superman.  He “stayed in the city, kept on changing clothes in dirty old phone booths €˜til his work was through.”

But the most interesting element of the song presents Superman as a refined gentlemen, in great contrast to another fictional hero, the crude Tarzan.  After lyrics claiming that “Tarzan was no ladies’ man” and that he would just “scoop €˜em up under his arm like that, quick as a cat,” we hear:  “Clark Kent, now there was a real gent.”  While the King of the Jungle “could hardly string together four words, I Tarzan, You Jane,” Superman “would not be caught sittin’ around in no junglescape, dumb as an ape, doing nothing.”

Thus this song not only mourns the death of Superman – “the world will never see another man like him” – but adds a new element to the narrative, one describing a cool, kind, sensitive, almost feminist strong man, who though weary remains true to the “never-ending battle.”  While sometimes he considered escaping the pressure of being our rock solid superhero, to “join Tarzan in the forest,” he stayed Resilient and Reliable to the end.  No wonder he is so Inspiring.  And a real gentleman to boot.

Below is a clip of the Crash Test Dummies video of  Superman’s Song.