Muhammad and Lonnie Ali appeared before a Congressional
Subcommittee on Wednesday, April 23, 1997 to throw their weight
behind the Morris K. Udall Parkinson's Research and Education Act (S.
535). Before a packed committee room filled with reporters, Parkinson
activists, and members of Congress, the Alis were introduced by
Senator John McCain, the lead sponsor of the Udall bill in the
Senate. The committee before whom the Alis appeared was the
appropriations committee that approves funding for the National
Institutes of Health where the funds provided by the Udall bill will
be allocated.

The Alis appeared before the committee as the National Spokespersons
for the National Parkinson Foundation which has provided a leadership
role in seeking approval and passage of this very important
legislation to all persons suffering from Parkinson's disease.

The panel of witnesses supporting Parkinson's research was moderated
by Lawrence S. Hoffheimer, Esq., Washington Counsel to the National
Parkinson Foundation. Emilio Alonso-Mendoza, Esq., Executive Director
of the National Parkinson Foundation, presented testimony on behalf of
NPF in support of the Udall bill.

The Committee members were moved by the testimony and praised the Alis
for their courage and commitment.

The testimony was preceded by a private luncheon, hosted by the
National Parkinson Foundation, for the members of the Appropriations
Committee, to enlighten the committee members about the devastating
consequences of Parkinson's disease and the research opportunities at
hand. Speaking on behalf of NPF were Emilio Alonso-Mendoza, Lawrence
S. Hoffheimer, Peter Morabito, DDS, Chairman of the Capital Chapter of
the National Parkinson Foundation and a member of the National Board
of Governors of the National Parkinson Foundation,  Norma Udall, wife
of the former Congressmen who suffers from Parkinson's disease, for
whom  the bill is named, and a member of NPF's Board of Governors.
Muhammad and Lonnie Ali were warmly welcomed by the Congress persons.

NPF organized a press conference that morning which included the four
principal sponsors of the Udall Bill, Senators McCain and Wellstone,
and Congressmen Upton and Waxman (Senator Wellstone and Congressman
Waxman are members of the Board of Governors of the National Parkinson
Foundation) and Muhammad Ali. In addition to Mr. Ali, NPF was
represented by Emilio Alonso-Mendoza, Norma Udall, and Lawrence S.
Hoffheimer. A photograph was taken of the four sponsors and Muhammad
Ali holding blown up copies of the Udall Bill. This photo will become
the "official" symbol of our fight to get the Udall Bill enacted into
law.

That evening, the Capital Chapter of the National Parkinson Foundation
sponsored a fundraiser tribute to Muhammad Ali at the Mayflower Hotel
in Washington, DC. About 350 persons paid to attend this event which
was Chaired by Congressman Joe McDade, a senior member of the House
Appropriations Committee, who was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease
about a year ago. The special guest was Senator John McCain, principal
Senate sponsor of the Udall bill. The program was moderated by Peter
Morabito, DDS, Chairman of the Capital Chapter of the National
Parkinson Foundation. Larry Hoffheimer, President of the Capital
Chapter of the National Parkinson Foundation, presented awards of
"Heartfelt Appreciation" to Congressman McDade and Senator McCain who
spoke to the guests. Emilio Alonso-Mendoza, welcomed the guests on
behalf of the National Parkinson Foundation, and praised Peter
Morabito for his energy and courage in leading the fight to conquer
Parkinson's disease.

Finally, Peter Morabito presented framed autographed copies of the
House and Senate versions of the Udall bill to Muhammad Ali, inviting
him to return to Washington when the Bill is signed into law.

The day ended will all involved believing that victory is at hand!

======== TESTIMONIES ==========

The Testimony of the Alis, Nathan Slewett, Chairman of the National
Parkinson Foundation, and Emilio Alonso-Mendoza, Executive Director of
the National Parkinson Foundation, as submitted for the
Congressional Record, follows:

-----------------------------------

Testimony of Muhammad and Lonnie Ali before the House Appropriations
Subcommittee for the Departments of Labor, Health & Human Services,
Education and Related Agencies

***

April 23, 1997

 Mr. Chairman and members of this committee.  My name is Lonnie Ali
 and I  am accompanied by my husband Muhammad Ali whom I'm sure needs
no introduction. The fact that I am the one speaking to you this
morning and not Muhammad is one of the principal reasons that we are
here today.

 I am sure all of you know Muhammad suffers from Parkinson's disease,
 a
progressive neurodegenerative disorder that has robbed him of one of
his most prized functions...his voice, and the ability to speak
clearly with resonance. I believe all of you remember Muhammad's
pre-Parkinson days when he moved millions with his vibrant voice and
poetic expression. In fact, Muhammad was so vocal that he was dubbed
the "Louisville Lip" shortly after joining the professional ranks of
boxing.

 My experience as a Parkinson caregiver has given me greater
understanding about this disease and how it can devastate not only its
victims, but also family and friends as well. Thanks to Muhammad and
the National Parkinson Foundation, I have had the opportunity to share
my story as a caregiver with hundreds of others in Parkinson support
groups. More importantly, they have had the opportunity to share with
me, there own personal stories of economic and emotional tragedy and
hardship this terrible disease has brought them.

  In the course of our travels, I have met hundreds of Parkinson
patients, some worse off than Muhammad and some not as affected.
Muhammad and I have come away from these experiences with the resolve
to help in any way we can to advance the research that will hasten the
cure for Parkinson's disease.

 Muhammad and I are committed to participate in fundraisers that focus
 on raising funds for medical research and tonight Muhammad is being
honored at such an event in Washington that is being sponsored by the
Capital Chapter of the National Parkinson Foundation chaired by your
colleague, Joe McDade, who also suffers from Parkinson's disease. Our
special guest will be Senator John McCain. I would like to extend a
personal invitation to each of you to join us.

 As you will hear from Mr. Nathan Slewett, Chairman of the National
Parkinson Foundation, the money raised goes to support some of the
finest Parkinson's research in the world.

 But, I can tell you first hand, more is needed! The resources of the
National Institutes of Health can not be matched by private
philanthropy. NIH, whose appropriations your committee approves, is
supporting a large amount of Parkinson's research.....but not enough
considering the research opportunities currently at hand. I have been
advised by some of the top Parkinson's researchers that a significant
infusion of federal funds allocated to Parkinson's research will
surely hasten the cure that Muhammad and thousands of others could
personally benefit from. Please consider that fact when you markup
this years appropriations bill.

 Even more importantly, I want to urge that you focus on the Morris K.

Udall Parkinson's Research bill, which authorizes a $100 million for
Parkinson's disease research in the next fiscal year. Muhammad and I
are asking each of you become a cosponsor of this legislation, which
was just reintroduced only two weeks ago; and when it is enacted into
law, which it will be, appropriate the funds that it calls for so that
we can rid ourselves of this devastating illness.

 Before I finish my remarks, I would like all of you to know that
Muhammad was unwilling to speak out and help in this fight to conquer
Parkinson's disease until recently when it became apparent that he
might be able to make a difference. I think you will agree he has.

 Please consider our request and plea for you help.

 Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for providing us the opportunity to appear
before you today.

----------------------------------

Testimony of Nathan Slewett Chairman, National Parkinson Foundation,
Inc. before the House Appropriations Subcommittee
for the Departments of Labor, Health & Human Services, Education and
Related Agencies

***

April 23, 1997

 Mr. Chairman and members of this distinguished committee. My name is
Nathan Slewett and I am Chairman of the National Parkinson Foundation,
Inc., which is headquartered in Miami, Florida. It is indeed a
pleasure and honor to appear before you today to share with you my
most fondest dream....which is to find a cure for Parkinson's disease.
As you've heard from Muhammad Ali through his lovely and articulate
wife, Lonnie, we are indeed on the threshold of finding a cure for
this terrible disease which is robbing so many persons of their
ability to function and pursue their daily activities of life.

 The National Parkinson Foundation was founded more than forty years
 ago in Miami, Florida by one of our Nation's truly great
philanthropic pioneers, Mrs. Jeanne Levey, whose husband had
Parkinson's disease. It mission was and has remained unchanged....to
raise medical research funds from public philanthropy and fund the
best Parkinson's research by the most eminent Parkinson researchers
throughout the world; and until the cause of Parkinson's is found, we
are dedicated to improving the quality of life for both Parkinson
patients and their caregivers.

 Beginning with a single research center in Miami, the NPF now
 supports
50 centers in 11 countries. 35 NPF Centers of Excellence are located
in the United States. We spent approximately $5,000,000 this past year
on Parkinson's disease research and plan to spend more this coming
year. All our research is thoroughly peer reviewed by our Scientific
Advisory Board who meet in closed session for two days every year.
This board is composed of some of the most distinguished scientists
familiar with Parkinson's disease and other neurodegenerative
disorders.

 Let me give you two other examples of ways we identify the best
research. You may recall last year an NIH research team headed up by
Dr. Michael H. Polymeropoulos of the NIH Center for Human Genome
Research, announced the discovery of the site of a gene that is
believed to have caused Parkinson's disease in a large Italian family
that had experienced a high incidence of Parkinson's disease. Because
of limited federal resources, the National Parkinson Foundation meet
with Dr. Zach Hall, Director of the National Institute of Neurological
Disorders and Stroke, and Dr. Polymeropoulos. We advised them that we
wanted to hasten their pursuit of this line of research. The result
was that the National Parkinson Foundation agreed to provide them with
$515,000 in grants to enable them to continue their gene research.

 We also met with Dr. Hall, whose institute allocates most of the
 federal funding for Parkinson's disease research, who advised us
that there were excellent Parkinson's research applications that
would not be funded because of insufficient funds. We asked Dr. Hall
to refer these excellent research candidates to the National
Parkinson Foundation to be considered for a "bridge grants" pending
their refunding in future years. This assistance will allow these
research investigators to continue their good work.

 I have said enough about the good work being conducted by my
organization. What I do want to focus on, however, is the need for
additional federal resources to help in this fight. My scientific
colleagues tell me that with a substantial increase in Parkinson's
research funding from NIH, we indeed will find a cure sooner. They
also advise me that we are on the threshold of brave new discoveries
that are in desperate need of funding NOW.

 You, as members of the appropriations committee, have the awesome
responsibility of deciding what areas of medical research get more
funds and what areas get less. I certainly don't envy you in this
challenging task. However, I truly believe the case for a dramatic
increase in Parkinson's disease research funding can and has been
made. And I plead with you to consider it.

 Finally, and most importantly, all of you have followed the Morris K.

Udall Parkinson's Research Bill named after your former colleague who
currently suffers severely from this disease.  It passed the Senate by
unanimous vote last year and received cosponsorship by more than half
of the House of Representatives. Of course we're in another Congress
now and the process has begun anew. The Udall Bill was reintroduced
just two weeks ago by Congressmen Upton and Waxman, and Senators
McCain and Wellstone, all distinguished colleagues of yours. That bill
authorizes $100 million next year for Parkinson's research up from the
currently budgeted $28 million. I and my associates in the National
Parkinson Foundation are and will continue to work to see this bill's
enactment and, after that, look to this distinguished committee to
appropriate the necessary funds that will truly hasten the cure of
this terrible disease.

 I would like to reiterate that it is estimated that there are 1
 million people with Parkinson's disease, 1% of the population over
age 65 years. Currently, the federal government spends about $7
billion a year caring for them --- $7,000 per person. Patients,
physicians and caregivers are universally dissatisfied with what that
money buys: hospitalization, custodial care, institutionalization. It
is estimated that for every Parkinson disease patient there are 10
who will develop the disease if they live long enough. What good will
it do if we conquer cancer and we banish heart disease and stroke if
10% of our population over 65 years develop Parkinson disease and
another 10% is consigned to caring for them? If we increase our
funding for Parkinson disease from $28 million to $100 million, that
is to say $100 per Parkinson disease patient, I believe that within 5
years we will abolish the disease.

 Mr. Chairman, and members of the Committee, please accept my sincere
appreciation for allowing me to appear before you today. I truly
respect what you are doing and wish you God's speed.

-----------------------------------------

Testimony of Emilio Alonso-Mendoza, Esq. Chairman, National Parkinson
Foundation, Inc. before the House Appropriations Subcommittee
for the Departments of Labor, Health & Human Services, Education and
Related Agencies

***

April 23, 1997

 Mr. Chairman and members of this distinguished committee. My name is
Emilio Alonso-Mendoza,  and I am Executive Director of the National
Parkinson Foundation, Inc., which is headquartered in Miami, Florida.
It is indeed a pleasure and honor to appear before you today to share
with you my most fondest dream....which is to find a cure for
Parkinson's disease. As you've heard from Muhammad Ali through his
lovely and articulate wife, Lonnie, we are indeed on the threshold of
finding a cure for this terrible disease which is robbing so many
persons of their ability to function and pursue their daily activities
of life.

 The National Parkinson Foundation was founded more than forty years
 ago in Miami, Florida by one of our Nation's truly great
philanthropic pioneers, Mrs. Jeanne Levey, whose husband had
Parkinson's disease. It mission was and has remained unchanged....to
raise medical research funds from public philanthropy and fund the
best Parkinson's research by the most eminent Parkinson researchers
throughout the world; and until the cause of Parkinson's is found, we
are dedicated to improving the quality of life for both Parkinson
patients and their caregivers.

 Beginning with a single research center in Miami, the NPF now
 supports 50 centers in 11 countries. 35 NPF Centers of Excellence
are located in the United States. We spent approximately $5,000,000
this past year on Parkinson's disease research and plan to spend more
this coming year. All our research is thoroughly peer reviewed by our
Scientific Advisory Board who meet in closed session for two days
every year. This board is composed of some of the most distinguished
scientists familiar with Parkinson's disease and other
neurodegenerative disorders.

 Let me give you two other examples of ways we identify the best
research. You may recall last year an NIH research team headed up by
Dr. Michael H. Polymeropoulos of the NIH Center for Human Genome
Research, announced the discovery of the site of a gene that is
believed to have caused Parkinson's disease in a large Italian family
that had experienced a high incidence of Parkinson's disease. Because
of limited federal resources, the National Parkinson Foundation meet
with Dr. Zach Hall, Director of the National Institute of Neurological
Disorders and Stroke, and Dr. Polymeropoulos. We advised them that we
wanted to hasten their pursuit of this line of research. The result
was that the National Parkinson Foundation agreed to provide them with
$515,000 in grants to enable them to continue their gene research.

 We also met with Dr. Hall, whose institute allocates most of the
 federal funding for Parkinson's disease research, who advised us
that there were excellent Parkinson's research applications that
would not be funded because of insufficient funds. We asked Dr. Hall
to refer these excellent research candidates to the National
Parkinson Foundation to be considered for a "bridge grants" pending
their refunding in future years. This assistance will allow these
research investigators to continue their good work.

 I have said enough about the good work being conducted by my
organization. What I do want to focus on, however, is the need for
additional federal resources to help in this fight. My scientific
colleagues tell me that with a substantial increase in Parkinson's
research funding from NIH, we indeed will find a cure sooner. They
also advise me that we are on the threshold of brave new discoveries
that are in desperate need of funding NOW.

 You, as members of the appropriations committee, have the awesome
responsibility of deciding what areas of medical research get more
funds and what areas get less. I certainly don't envy you in this
challenging task. However, I truly believe the case for a dramatic
increase in Parkinson's disease research funding can and has been
made. And I plead with you to consider it.

 Finally, and most importantly, all of you have followed the Morris K.

Udall Parkinson's Research Bill named after your former colleague who
currently suffers severely from this disease.  It passed the Senate by
unanimous vote last year and received cosponsorship by more than half
of the House of Representatives. Of course we're in another Congress
now and the process has begun anew. The Udall Bill was reintroduced
just two weeks ago by Congressmen Upton and Waxman, and Senators
McCain and Wellstone, all distinguished colleagues of yours. That bill
authorizes $100 million next year for Parkinson's research up from the
currently budgeted $28 million. I and my associates in the National
Parkinson Foundation are and will continue to work to see this bill's
enactment and, after that, look to this distinguished committee to
appropriate the necessary funds that will truly hasten the cure of
this terrible disease.

 I would like to reiterate that it is estimated that there are 1
 million people with Parkinson's disease, 1% of the population over
age 65 years. Currently, the federal government spends about $7
billion a year caring for them --- $7,000 per person. Patients,
physicians and caregivers are universally dissatisfied with what that
money buys: hospitalization, custodial care, institutionalization. It
is estimated that for every Parkinson disease patient there are 10
who will develop the disease if they live long enough. What good will
it do if we conquer cancer and we banish heart disease and stroke if
10% of our population over 65 years develop Parkinson disease and
another 10% is consigned to caring for them? If we increase our
funding for Parkinson disease from $28 million to $100 million, that
is to say $100 per Parkinson disease patient, I believe that within 5
years we will abolish the disease.

 Mr. Chairman, and members of the Committee, please accept my sincere
appreciation for allowing me to appear before you today. I truly
respect what you are doing and wish you God's speed.