Lonnie Ali toasts to 20th Anniversary of Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center
More than 50 guests joined Barrow Neurological Institute leaders, physicians and staff Nov. 2 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the naming of the Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center. Held in the center on the Barrow campus, the event featured tours by staff showcasing the center’s impactful care, remarks from physicians and Lonnie Ali, the widow of Muhammad Ali, and a celebratory toast from Dr. Michael Lawton, Barrow’s new president and CEO.
Dr. Holly Shill, director of the center, announced the creation of the Lonnie and Muhammad Ali Legacy Care program, which will bring care to housebound Parkinson’s patients via in-home visits and telemedicine. Patients and caregivers will have access to technology that allows them to remotely participate in various lectures, trainings and support groups, providing them with tools to achieve a better quality of life. This type of program has long been the vision of Lonnie Ali.
The Lonnie and Muhammad Ali Legacy Care program was made possible by a $4 million gift from the Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation. The gift was announced during Celebrity Fight Night XXIII by Bob Parsons, a friend of Muhammad Ali’s. It brings the Parsons’ cumulative giving total to more than $9 million in support of the center.
PHOTOS COURTESY BARROW NEUROLOGICAL FOUNDATION
Nancy Walker, Dr. Abraham Lieberman and Jimmy Walker, founder, president and CEO Celebrity Fight Night
Mayra Flores and Laura Mitchell, executive director of The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation
Dr. Ryan Walsh, President and CEO of Barrow Neurological Institute Dr. Michael Lawton, Dr. Holly Shill, Dr. Jeremy Shefner, and Dr. Abraham Lieberman
Lonnie Ali and Jennifer Cobb, granddaughter of Ty Cobb
