Parkinson's Disease Moving Day: We walk for Muhammad Ali and for those who can't
2016 has been a sad year in the Parkinson's world. Actually they are all sad in the PD world since there's no cure for this horrendous disease but this one is a little sadder than most. We lost Muhammad Ali. He died in June after a three decades long fight with Parkinson's.
Ali's foundation raised millions of dollars for Parkinson's research. His battle with the disease raised awareness of PD every time you saw him. He was truly a champion in both the worlds of Boxing and Parkinson's.
These are photos of two very different Muhammad Ali's. The first from 1965 shows him in his prime. A champion athlete standing over a fallen Sonny Liston. The second is Ali at the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympic Games. A one time Olympic Gold medalist, he now needs both hands to hold and light the Olympic flame.
There are about one million individuals with Parkinson's in the United States. 60,000 new cases are diagnosed each year. One out of every four families will have a member that has Parkinson's Disease.
Tomorrow, in Chicago is the 5th annual Parkinson's Disease Moving Day walk. It raises money for research and awareness. The money raised also funds programs to help Parkinson's patients throughout the area live better and more active lives.
Tomorrow, we walk to honor Ali. Tomorrow, we walk to honor people with Parkinson's, their caretakers and their friends & families. Tomorrow, we walk for ourselves to show that all things are possible.
Tomorrow we walk.
Here are a couple of stories I wrote in June about the the great Ali. Ali Bomaye and Ali, Hendrix, Joplin and coming of age.
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