Parkinson Platform Noord Nederland

Tour de Fox is nearing completion of its 103-day journey across the United States and into Canada to raise funds for Parkinson's research. To date, Sam Fox (no relation to Michael) has made his way through 46 states — ascending states' highest peaks and cycling thousands of miles. And throughout, he's been joined by more than 1,500 members of the Parkinson's community who are finding their own summits through Tour de Fox and sharing a common commitment to end Parkinson's disease (PD). As Sam and the crew embark on some of their biggest challenges of the Tour yet, Sam reflects on how sharing the experience with the Parkinson's community inspires him to keep going:

"The amount of in person support that we've received, especially considering the remote locations of many of our climbs, has been overwhelming. We've had so many families meet us who have driven three, four, even seven hours each way just to join us for a 345-foot high point."

One such group who went above and beyond is Team Fox's Team Gerhard in Wyoming. Led by the Gerhard family, who rally around one member living with PD, the team hosted nearly 100 supporters in Jackson Hole and then traveled together to climb Colorado's 14,440-foot Mt. Elbert. Even the family pup joined in on the action. Collectively, their efforts have raised nearly $15,000 in support of Tour de Fox and critical PD research.

In North Dakota, Janet and Neil Zetah joined the Tour for not one but two climbs. They, their children and their grandchildren all came out to climb their state's highest peak in honor of Neil, who lives with PD. Janet and Neil then traveled to South Dakota for that state's highest point: Harney Peak. Says Sam of the Zetahs, "Their support for each other while tackling challenging physical tasks was really inspirational, and the Zetahs epitomize the spirit that we've seen in so many supportive families."

Getting to know these and many more members of the PD community continues to drive Tour de Fox as it continues through one of its most difficult legs, and into the home stretch, with less than three weeks to go before the finale in Vancouver.

Follow Tour de Fox and share your support on social media with #tourdefox and #findyoursummit. Give to the Tour today to help us reach $1 million to help speed a cure; 100 percent of Tour de Fox proceeds go directly to PD research efforts.