Muhammad Ali’s Other Fight
World champion boxer Muhammad Ali was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 1982, and now his daughter, Rasheda Ali, has joined forces with an Israeli biotech firm that specializes in adult stem-cell research to find cures for neurodegenerative diseases.
The younger Ali signed on as official spokeswoman and advisory board member for BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics, which recently announced advancements in its search for a cure for Parkinson’s disease.
An outspoken advocate in raising awareness and encouraging dialogue about the neurological disorder, she is the author of the 2005 children’s book “I’ll Hold Your Hand So You Won’t Fall,” published by Merit Publishing International. The book provides families with guidance in discussing and understanding the disease.
A message from our Publisher & CEO Rachel Fishman Feddersen
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism so that we can be prepared for whatever news 2025 brings.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.
Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO