Muhammad Ali’s Daughter to be Honored at New Haven Luncheon to Benefit Parkinson Disease Research at Local Institute

Inspired by watching her children interact with their grandfather, Rasheda Ali has authored I’ll Hold Your Hand so You Won’t Fall:  A Child’s Guide to Parkinson’s Disease

New Haven, Ct., August 30, 2005 --  Rasheda Ali will be the featured speaker and honoree at the First Annual Luncheon to Benefit Research at The Institute for Neurodegenerative Disorders on September 20, 2005 at the Omni New Haven Hotel.

Ms. Ali was only nine years old when her father, boxing legend and three-times World Heavyweight Champion Muhammad Ali, was diagnosed with Parkinson disease.  Now, a parent and actress, she has become an author and, in her famous father’s words “…an activist in the cause to help families keep the faith and never stop living each day to the fullest extent possible.”  Mr. Ali wrote the foreword to I’ll Hold Your Hand So You Won’t Fall:  A Child’s Guide to Parkinson’s Disease.  His seven year-old grandson, Biaggio, came up with the title, which appears on the cover of the book in his handwriting.

Biaggio and Nico (5), have a close relationship with their grandfather and love to communicate with him through art.  Rasheda Ali says, “I was inspired to write this book by watching my children’s interactions with their grandfather.  I thought I could also reach out to families who were just as perplexed as I when my son asked me, ‘Why is Popi shaking?’ Children want to understand why their loved ones behave a certain way.  By encouraging communication between them and your loved one with Parkinson disease, you are not only educating them, you are also bringing them closer together.” 

In the book’s foreword Muhammad Ali says, “I know many grandparents and parents are frequently at a loss in trying to explain to children the effects Parkinson’s disease has on a loved one.  Hopefully, this book will serve as a guide to explain in simple terms a very complicated illness.”  At the luncheon, Rasheda Ali will talk about her family’s experiences, which provide encouragement and suggestions for ways to cope and adjust to the changes brought about by illness, with emphasis on the importance of attending to the needs of everyone in the family—the patient, caregiver and children.

Autographed copies of the book will be provided to lunch guests.

Special guests at the luncheon will also include Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro and Jocelyn Maminta of WTNH Channel 8 News. For tickets, information or inquiries about IND, please contact Karen Caplan, (203) 401 4347, or kcaplan@indd.org, or visit www.indd.org.

The Institute for Neurodegenerative Disorders is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) private research institute located in New Haven, Connecticut, whose mission is to develop educational programs, improved treatments, diagnostic tools for neurologic disorders such as Parkinson disease, Huntington disease, Alzheimer disease, and dystonia, through clinical research.