Our tribute to The Greatest

SIX months ago, we revealed that then Chief Secretary to Government Sir Manasupe Zurenuoc was suffering from Parkinson’s disease and would step down from office in February this year.
He did so and is now living in retirement as he copes with the disease that has affected so many famous as well as ordinary people around the world.
Sadly, the most famous of them all – Muhammad Ali – passed away on Saturday (PNG time).
The former heavyweight boxing champion shocked the world in 1984 when he revealed he had Parkinson’s disease. After being diagnosed, Ali raised public awareness of Parkinson’s disease – and millions of dollars.
In the end, his greatest fight was with the disease that had dogged the last three decades of his life.
Who would have thought that the great Ali, who floated like a butterfly and stung like a bee in his heyday, would eventually succumb to this rare disease?
But that’s the cruel twist of fate that befalls people like him and other world figures who suffer from the disease, including former US President George Bush senior, evangelist Billy Graham, Hollywood actor Michael J. Fox and the late Pope John Paul II.
Ali had been suffering from the disease that is believed to have complicated his respiratory condition when he was taken to hospital last Friday.
He had been in hospital several times in recent years, most recently in early 2015 when he was treated for a severe urinary tract infection initially diagnosed as pneumonia.
In the last few months, Ali had looked increasingly frail in his rare public appearances, including on April 9 when he looked hunched and wore sunglasses for the annual Celebrity Fight Night dinner in Phoenix, which raises funds for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease.
The disease that gripped his body, slowed his speech and slurred his words made Ali a shell of the man whose athleticism in the 1960s saw him idolized around the world. With his dancing feet and quick fists, he could – as he famously put it – “float like a butterfly and sting like a bee”.
In a statement on its website, the Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center noted: “Muhammad Ali rose to fame as a champion boxer, but his legacy extends far beyond the sports world. Muhammad was a beloved humanitarian and charitable philanthropist whose brave struggle with Parkinson’s disease, which affects more than 1.5 million Americans, inspired the patients, doctors and researchers at the centre bearing his name.”
We join millions of people around the world in paying tribute to Muhammad Ali “The Greatest”.
Here is a brief summary of Parkinson’s disease:
It belongs to a group of conditions called motor system disorders, which are the result of the loss of dopamine-producing brain cells.
The four primary symptoms are tremor, or trembling in hands, arms, legs, jaw, and face; rigidity, or stiffness of the limbs and trunk; slowness of movement; and postural instability, or impaired balance and coordination.
As these symptoms become more pronounced, patients may have difficulty walking, talking, or completing other simple tasks.
Parkinson’s disease usually affects people over the age of 60.  Early symptoms are subtle and occur gradually.  In some people the disease progresses more quickly than in others.
As the disease progresses, the shaking, or tremor, which affects the majority of people with Parkinson’s disease may begin to interfere with daily activities.
Other symptoms may include depression and other emotional changes; difficulty in swallowing, chewing, and speaking; urinary problems or constipation; skin problems; and sleep disruptions.
There are currently no blood or laboratory tests that have been proven to help in diagnosing sporadic Parkinson’s disease.  Therefore, the diagnosis is based on medical history and a neurological examination.
The disease can be difficult to diagnose accurately.   Doctors may sometimes request brain scans or laboratory tests in order to rule out other diseases.
Parkinson’s disease is both chronic, meaning it persists over a long period of time, and progressive, meaning its symptoms grow worse over time.
Tremor is the major symptom for some individuals, while for others tremor is only a minor complaint and other symptoms are more troublesome.  It is currently not possible to predict which symptoms will affect an individual, and the intensity of the symptoms also varies from person to person.