[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 88 (Friday, May 24, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E674]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  RECOGNIZING THE UNVEILING OF THE NEWLY RENAMED ``MUHAMMAD ALI WAY''

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. RUBEN GALLEGO

                               of arizona

                    in the house of representatives

                          Friday, May 24, 2019

  Mr. GALLEGO. Madam Speaker, it is my privilege to honor the 
contributions of one of our country's greatest boxers, activists, and 
philanthropists as my district celebrates the unveiling of the newly 
renamed street ``Muhammad Ali Way'' this June 3rd--the three-year 
anniversary of Muhammad Ali's passing in Scottsdale in 2016--thanks to 
the initiative of Dignity Health.
  I want to recognize something more than the endurance with which Ali 
inspired us each time he entered the ring. The athleticism, 
determination, and honor he brought to the sport of boxing are 
commendable. But the endurance he sustained outside the ring after he 
was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 1984 has been a true 
inspiration to the world--and to the people of Phoenix in particular, 
where he and his neurologist Abraham Lieberman helped establish the 
Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center (MAPC) at Barrow Neurological Institute 
in 1997. The center has grown over the past two decades into an 
internationally renowned facility for Parkinson's disease and movement 
disorder related medical care. MAPC continues to carry out Muhammad and 
Lonnie Ali's mission each day to provide high-quality and compassionate 
treatment, education, and support to every individual battling 
Parkinson's disease, to their caregivers, and to their families.
  The team of neurologists, nurses, physical therapists, occupational 
therapists, and speech-language pathologists at MAPC sees more than 
1,200 patients a year. It is through the Ali family's continued support 
and devotion to driving the world towards a cure for Parkinson's 
disease that the center is able to maintain robust outreach programs to 
patients and families, and serve Arizonans with palliative care, 
remote-telemedicine appointments, and other critical services.
  It is fitting, then, that the road leading to the center also be 
named in recognition of Ali's contributions: his demonstration of 
American tenacity and spirit in sport, in his battle with Parkinson's, 
in his support of the advancement of medical research, in his service 
to the Phoenix community, and in his service to our country as a whole. 
I look forward to traveling down the newly renamed ``Muhammad Ali Way'' 
each time I have the opportunity to visit the Muhammad Ali Parkinson 
Center in Phoenix for years to come.

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