I watched Muhammad Ali toss the first pitch in a baseball game. He was diagnosed with parkinson's in 1984 and now is all crippled up and shaky and unable to throw the ball. It looks as if he is totally dependent on others. That is a scary future; however it has been 28 years since his diagnosis. 28 years from now I hope to be pushing up daisies.
It is hard to believe that the most well-known person in the world can go from a brash Cassius Clay to a totally disabled shadow of a man. I remember him at the Oscars with George Foreman when the film, "When We Were Kings", won best documentary in 1997. He was expressionless (PD mask) and shaky but still able to walk, climb stairs and generally come off as being independent. So maybe I will get a good 15 - 20 years in before the game is over.
With ever more effective drugs, I hope to lead a fairly normal life. Things can change. 8 months ago my right hand had a mind of its own, today, thanks to drugs, it is so calm I wonder if I have PD, and in the future....who knows? I try not to dream about the future.
Although Ali has described his PD as his life's greatest fight, he has also brought a touch of humor to his condition.......
"I always liked to chase the girls. Parkinson's stops all that. Now I might have a chance to go to heaven." (Muhammad Ali)
Parkinson's has Ali on the ropes, but he continues to fight and is still the "Greatest".
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