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[log in to unmask] ----- Original Message ----- From: Private <[log in to unmask]> To: Ask the Doctor <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Thursday, December 09, 1999 9:40 AM Subject: news item of interest ***A message from Ask the Doctor*** Edmond Safra, Prominent Banker, One of the World's Richest Men, Parkinson Sufferer, Dies Edmond Safra, 67 years old, a Parkinson sufferer, founder of Republic Bank, and said by Forbes Magazine to be among the 200 richest men in the world is dead. One year ago Mr. Safra energized the Parkinson word by announcing that upon completion of the sale of his bank he would establish a $50 million foundation for Parkinson research. The expected sale of the bank would net Mr. Safra $ 3 billion. For several years Mr. Safra suffered from Parkinson disease. He was consulted-on by a team of internationally-recognized experts on Parkinson disease and attended round-the-clock by nurses. It was one of the nurses, Ted Maher, who in a fit of madness set the fire that killed Mr. Safra. Mr. Safra had homes in the South of France, Monte Carlo, Paris, and New York. In Monte Carlo he lived in a two-story pent-house atop his bank. Obsessed by security every entrance to his apartment was guarded. On 3 December Nurse Maher reported two hooded men broke into Mr Safra's apartment. Mr Safra and another nurse took refuge in a bathroom. Mr. Safra's wife and her grand-daughter took refuge in another part of the apartment. Nurse Maher claimed he fought with the hooded-men-driving them out. However, before they left they started a fire. Informed the hooded-men had left, Mr. Safra, petrified, would not leave the apparent safety of the bathroom. He and the nurse with him died of smoke inhalation. Later, after questioning by the Monte Carlo police, Nurse Maher admitted there was no break-in, no hooded-men. He, Nurse Maher, had started the fire-he wanted to attract attention to himself by pretending to fight-off the intruders-saving Mr Safra. Great wealth such as that earned by Mr. Safra attracts great luxury, great privilege. However, great wealth attracts great envy, great greed-great desperation-to Mr. Safra's misfortune. It's not known whether Mr. Safra, a generous philanthropist, provided for Parkinson disease research in his will. Are there redeeming messages in this sad tale? Yes-the Parkinson community should not look to others, even wealthy Parkinson sufferers, to rid the world of this awful disease. Don't assume the Edmund Safra's, the Pope John Paul's, the Billy Graham's, will, because they sufferer from the disease, to do something. It is you, collectively who must rid the world of this disease. If the one million Parkinson disease sufferers in the United States each gave $100 to Parkinson research, $100 million, 1/30 th proceeds from the sale of Mr. Safra's bank, the disease would disappear. Copyright © 1996-99 The National Parkinson Foundation, Inc. --- You are currently subscribed to askthedoctor as: [log in to unmask] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [log in to unmask]