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Muhammad and Lonnie Ali to testified on Capital Hill on behalf of the
National Parkinson Foundation. The Ali's and NPF urge Congress to pass
the Morris K. Udall Parkinson's Research Bill

Muhammad and Lonnie Ali will accompanied
Emilio Alonso-Mendoza, the Executive Director of the National
Parkinson Foundation (NPF), on a trip to Washington, DC to testify
before the House of Representatives Appropriations Committee on
Wednesday, April 23rd , in Room 2358 of the Rayborn House Office
Building at 2:00 P.M.  The Appropriations Committee recommends funding
for the National Institute of Health (NIH).  Mendoza and the Ali's
hope to persuade the Committee to increase NIH's funding for
Parkinson's disease research and are making a strong plea for passage
of the Udall Bill.

The Udall bill, which will add $100 million to Parkinson's research
funding next year was established in honor of Ex-Congressman Morris K.
Udall who presently suffers severely from Parkinson's disease.
Currently, only 28 million is budgeted for this debilitating
neurological disorder by the principal NIH Institute on Neurological
Disorders and Stroke. Although the Udall Bill passed the Senate by
unanimous vote last year and received co-sponsorship by more than half
of the House of Representatives, the process began anew with the new
congress and was recently reintroduced by Congressmen Upton and Waxman
and Senators McCain and Wellstone.

Following the testimony on Capital Hill, Muhammad and Lonnie were
honored for their dedication and commitment to the Parkinson cause  at
a reception sponsored  by the Capital Chapter of the National
Parkinson Foundation (CCNPF). The event was held at the Mayflower
Hotel from 6:00 to 8:00 PM and was chaired by the Honorable Joe
McDade, who also suffers from Parkinson's disease.

By joining forces with NPF and becoming the Foundation's national
spokespersons, Muhammad and Lonnie Ali made a commitment to
Parkinson's patients everywhere. Testifying on Capital Hill is only
one of the ways the Ali's help in the fight against PD.  They both
participate in many NPF events that focus on raising funds for medical
research.  Both the Ali's and the National Parkinson Foundation will
work tirelessly until the Foundation's chief mission of finding the
cause of and cure for Parkinson's disease is accomplished.