In this corner, the three-time Heavyweight Champion, Muhammed Ali, and in this corner, the dreaded Parkinson's disease.
We wake each day and give praise for another day of life, lacing up our gloves and preparing ourselves for the demons we tantalize with our fears and insecurities. Yet this past Friday at the age of 74, we witnessed another legend taken from the world, and this time, Parkinson's disease was the winner.
The recent knock-out in history proved greater not only for the fans of the swift-footed boxer, but also in terms of the influential motivations we received from the kindhearted legend throughout his years. Ali was "The Greatest" in more areas than one, and even though he was backed against the wall, taking punches left and right, he and his wife co-founded "the Muhammad Ali Parkinson center" in Phoenix, hoping to provide an understanding for those living with the progressive nervous system disease.
What is Parkinson's disease, you ask? Parkinson's disease is a disorder that slowly progresses from a hole in the brain, affecting the flow and production of dopamine, the feel good or reward hormone, in the brain to diminishing the patient's movements such as motor and gross motor skills. Sufferers of this disease are prevalently men, with a statistic of reaching people over the age of 50.
According to the Parkinson's Disease Foundation, 1 million people are affected by this disease. Most of the symptoms tend to be monoplegia--which include difficulty walking, talking, slowness of movement, a loss of balance and slurred speech. According to the Mayo Clinic, "you may have a decreased ability to perform unconscious movements, including blinking, smiling or swinging your arms when you walk."
The causes of Parkinson's is when the dopamine that controls movements and the reward center part of the brain produced by neurons die off; with a shortage of healthy and living neurons, the ability of normal movement declines and creates issues. The direct cause of this disorder is still cloudy, yet there is a presumption that nature vs. nurture has a say in the matter, with an estimated 15 to 25 percent of patients have a member of their family suffering with the same disorder, according to the Parkinson's Disease Foundation. All in all, the disease is non curable but medication may help to produce more dopamine in the brain in order for smoother motor and gross motor skills, much like walking normally and being able to feed oneself. When medication no longer serves a purpose or is not an option, Electrode implant surgery can help lessen the affects by implanting electrodes onto the brain. The electrodes connect to a small device that releases signals with a sole purpose of controlling movement a lot better than before.
All in all, Muhammed Ali will be missed for everything he as given to his fans and to the world. One did not have to be a fan to hear the impact his gloves made; for people worldwide were affected by his story or the message he carried throughout life. Look at those suffering with the very same disease that knocked out Ali for good, this cohort of sufferers have raised banners uttered words for their cause. Furthermore, from a personal standpoint I looked at Muhammed Ali as one of those people who endured an infinite amount of hardships and still conquered the world; which he did. Hearing his mantras, all the while I exhaled all the self doubts and fear, including the anxiety of failure, I breath in and fight my way to glory. Let us give thanks for one of the legends in life, giving back to him what he has to the world; all the while we "float like a butterfly, sting like a bee." (Muhammed Ali)