Celebrities have been supporting charities and campaigning for causes for as long as they could do so. Many lend their names to medical causes, but few actually take the initiative to fundraise for research, raise public awareness and volunteer their services. Here are 10 celebrities who championed medical causes:

1. Jerry Lewis: Jerry Lewis may be best known for his slapstick humor and stage performances, but this funny guy is also the leading figure in the fight against muscular dystrophy. Since 1956, Lewis has dedicated his life to increasing funding and raising public awareness about the disease for the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA). Lewis’ fundraising efforts began by hosting a telethon with sidekick Dean Martin, which raised an estimated $600,000 in funding. Since then, his annual telethon has helped raise $2.45 billion for the MDA. Lewis’ selfless volunteer work and humanitarian contributions have helped fund the research needed to find a cure and help those living with the disease today.
2. Michael J. Fox: Actor Michael J. Fox has been a major advocate for furthering the research and funding for Parkinson’s disease since he was diagnosed with the disease in 1998. Fox started the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research with the mission to find a cure for Parkinson’s. In addition to aggressive fundraising and innovative research, Fox’s foundation is also dedicated to helping patients living with Parkinson’s by providing information on the disease, explaining treatments and therapies and providing unconditional support. Since its inception, the foundation has funded more $230 million in research.
3. Elizabeth Taylor: Elizabeth Taylor may have been best known for her acting, but this classic beauty was also an ardent supporter of HIV/AIDS research and fought to raise awareness about the disease. She was devoted to several different AIDS foundations and eventually created her own, called the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation. Taylor also helped start the American Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR), which is dedicated to furthering HIV/AIDS research, increasing public education and ending the global epidemic. Throughout her career, Taylor helped raise about $50 million in funding for the disease.
4. Magic Johnson: Since Magic Johnson made his 1991 public announcement that he was HIV-positive, the former basketball superstar has dedicated his efforts to combating the deadly disease. Following his retirement from the NBA, Johnson established the Magic Johnson Foundation to fund HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment and raise awareness. Over the years, Johnson has expanded his foundation to also assist inner-city groups and promote health care education for minorities.
5. Elton John: Elton John has championed HIV/AIDS prevention and awareness campaigns for almost two decades. After the loss of his friends Ryan White and fellow musician Freddie Mercury to the deadly disease, he created the Elton John AIDS Foundation in 1992 and the Elton John AIDS Foundation in 1993. The organizations serve the same purpose — to fund prevention and treatment HIV/AIDS programs, provide support services for HIV/AIDS patients, increase awareness and eliminate common prejudices and misconceptions associated with HIV/AIDS. To this day, John remains deeply involved in his charities, which have raised more than $220 million worldwide since their inception.
6. Lance Armstrong: Cycling champion Lance Armstrong may be known for winning the Tour de France seven consecutive times, but this retired athlete is also a major player in the fight against cancer. Armstrong’s own battle with advanced testicular cancer in 1996 lead to his establishment of the Lance Armstrong Foundation, which promotes cancer research, funding and support for patients and survivors. Since its inception, the organization has raised more than $400 million for cancer programs and services.
7. Katie Couric: News anchor Katie Couric has dedicated a great deal of her life to educating the public and increasing awareness about colon cancer. Couric became a spokeswoman for the disease after her husband died of colon cancer in 1998. Since then, Couric has used her fame and public presence to raise awareness about colon cancer and promote screening for early detection. She even underwent a colonoscopy on-air to encourage people to get checked, and also broadcasted her own mammogram procedure. Couric’s broadcasted colonoscopy had a tremendous effect on the public by increasing the amount of testing by 20 percent.
8. Christopher Reeve: Christopher Reeve was best known for his role as Superman, but the actor became a real life superhero when he founded the Christopher Reeve Foundation, an organization dedicated to curing spinal cord injuries, funding research and supporting those with disabilities. Reeve became an activist for spinal cord research and disabled patient advocacy after a devastating equestrian accident that left him paralyzed in 1995. Reeve was a longtime member of the American Paralysis Association and the National Organization on Disability, and was a strong supporter of stem cell research for open-ended scientific inquiry.
9. Maria Shriver: Maria Shriver has been a longtime activist for increasing research, funding and awareness for Alzheimer’s disease. She became increasingly involved in this cause when her father was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2003. Since then, Shriver has teamed up with the Alzheimer’s Association to draft a comprehensive study that highlights the effects of the disease on women as patients, caregivers and advocates, in addition to organizing a 5K march and candlelight vigil in 2010 that raised more than $276,000 for Alzheimer care, support and research. She also produced a series of Emmy-Award winning documentaries that explored current medical research and how families cope with the disease.
10. Montel Williams: Talk show host Montel Williams has been a major activist for multiple sclerosis research and awareness since he was diagnosed with the disease in 1999. Williams created the Montel Williams MS Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to raising awareness and furthering research for MS. Since its inception, the foundation has raised more than $1.5 million for research. Williams has become an important figure in his mission to provide support and inspiration to MS patients, as well as educate the public about this often debilitating disease.