About Us
Mani Iyer Neurodegenerative Diseases (MIND) Relief is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded by Jay Iyer with support from the Iyer family.
This organization was founded in memory of the late Mani Iyer, who was diagnosed with PSP.
​
Our Vision
Our vision for the future is to expand our network of support past the state of Louisiana so we can better reach and support those from all over the United States. We also hope to establish our presence in patient offices in the future, which is currently in development.
Our Mission
MIND Relief is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization aimed at providing information and support to patients, their families, and caregivers on prime of life neurodegenerative diseases.
In Memory of Mani Iyer (1941 - 2019)
Mr. Mani Iyer was born in Mumbai, India, and he graduated from Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute (VJTI) in Mumbai in 1964 with a masters degree in Textile Engineering.
He immigrated to the United States with his family in 1981 and served as the Director of the Office of Innovation & Technology Commercialization at LSU for almost 20 years and was the President of Walk Hill Corporation.
He retired in 2006 as Director Emeritus to enjoy time with his family and for his many hobbies. A few of his many passions included growing flowers and vegetables in his garden, wood-working, and playing the harmonium instrument.
In 2016, he was diagnosed with Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP), and suffered through this terrible ailment until February 22, 2019, when he passed away.
Mani Iyer was a role model and pillar of strength for the Iyer family. MIND Relief was founded by his grandson, Jay Iyer, to provide information and support for patients and their families on neurodegenerative diseases such as PSP, CBD, and MSA.
​
Our Story
During all of 2014, Mani Iyer had a history of Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS), in which he felt the constant need to move his legs at night. Around February of 2015, he started to feel fogginess in his brain and was unable to focus or concentrate. The symptoms continued in March as he was slowly having trouble walking in a straight line, started having constipation, and developed apraxia, in this case where his hands would not do what his brain was telling him to do.
In May, he hit another car on the road and got in an accident as well as he started having difficulty signing his name. He fell out of bed in June and fractured his nose as well as one of his toes. Our family took him to see a neuropsychologist in August where he got an evaluation. He was originally diagnosed with Parkinson's although he had no memory loss at the time. Throughout the rest of 2015, his legs developed weakness, he had lots of trouble walking, he developed micrographia, and he developed frequent eye blinking. He also had six falls in total in 2015, and had to stop his favorite hobby which was gardening.
In February of 2016, he developed a slurred speech and could not process things as fast as usual. We took him to a movement disorder neurologist in Houston where he was diagnosed with PSP. His symptoms worsened throughout the rest of the year, including more weakness in all parts of the body, a loss of fine motor skills, and disrupted sleep. Throughout 2017, he continued to see different types of doctors such as neurologists, urologists, ophthalmologists, and cardiologists. In August, he fell down again and we figured out that his blood pressure was fluctuating, or going up and down.
In January of 2018, he was put on hospice care for twenty four hours a day. There were many incidents where he fell down, including from his chair where we had to call the fire department to help him up. He got a catheter put in in July of 2018 and he also lost all his ability to walk. In September, he had a heart attack and he had more falls throughout the rest of 2018. In January of 2019, he lost almost all ability to talk and soon in February, he passed away.
​