Muhammad Ali loves to socialize despite the progression of his Parkinson’s disease, which has left him without a voice and slow of movement.
The 69-year-old regularly shows up at parties, sporting events and fundraisers.
But his public life is not without cost.
“People always say, ‘Oh, poor Muhammad,’ ” said his wife, Lonnie.
Self-proclaimed as “The Greatest,” Ali was a three-time world heavyweight boxing champion with a chiseled physique and indomitable will.
These days, Lonnie Ali said, he reminds people of their own mortality.
“People hate to see people age. It makes them think how short life is and how vulnerable we all are, especially someone like Muhammad, who was so in-your-face and alive,” she said.
Lonnie Ali is his fourth wife, a woman with an MBA from the University of California, Los Angeles’ Anderson School of Management, who first met Ali when she was 6 years old. Her family had just moved across the street from his family in Louisville, Ky. Ali, back when he was still known as Cassius Clay, was home on a break from training for his first fight with Sonny Liston.
Over the years, he became her mentor, dispensing lectures on such topics as the purpose of life, Lonnie Ali said.
She was 29 when they married, and he had already been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, a degenerative disorder of the nervous system.
“Over the past 25 years, we’ve grown along with the research and learned as we went,” she said.
Lonnie Ali is a passionate advocate for raising awareness of Parkinson’s disease and will give a free seminar on caregiving for Parkinson’s patients in Denver on Wednesday.
She also treasures her role serving as the voice of Muhammad Ali.
“I want to keep helping him fulfill his mission, which is to bring people together, speak love and encourage people to be the best they can be,” she said.
Ali works with a physical therapist three days a week on balance and two days a week with weights and cardio, and does therapy twice a week to relieve the arthritis in his hands.
Lonnie Ali strengthens her caregiver stamina with daily prayer, Pilates and regular workouts with a trainer in the gym.
As the keeper of his legacy, she said, she emphasizes his courage and determination to celebrate life despite its difficulties.
“He’s not letting this illness take everything away from him,” Lonnie Ali said. “He encourages people in similar situations to look on the positive side of life and to remember that life is for living.”
Colleen O’Connor: 303-954-1083 or coconnor@denverpost.com
Free seminar
Lonnie Ali will give a free talk on caregiving for Parkinson’s patients at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday in the Daniels Great Hall at the Cable Center, 2000 Buchtel Blvd., Denver. The event goes until 2 p.m. Seating is limited, and reservations are required. Call 303-830-1839 or e-mail ctaormina@parkinsonrockies .
