[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 181 (Friday, December 6, 2024)]
[House]
[Page H6416]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        THE COURAGE OF JOE EITL

  (Ms. DEAN of Pennsylvania asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. DEAN of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, government is at its best when 
it helps those in need.
  That is the story of Collegeville resident, Joe Eitl. Joe was born 
with a rare heart condition that meant only half of his heart worked 
properly. For years, he endured surgery and after surgery, and still at 
37, Joe suffered heart and liver failure.
  A transplant was his only hope. The family's nationwide search began, 
and in 2020 at Vanderbilt University Hospital, Joe became the first 
person with Down syndrome to receive a combined heart and liver 
transparent.
  What made this possible? Medicare. Medicare saves lives. It saved 
Joe. Without it, thousands of Americans would not have the chance at 
the life they deserve. Through it all, Joe's courageous and contagious 
spirit never wavered. His story is not the story of sorrow, but of joy 
and enduring strength and of the power of community.
  From his parents, Craig and Peg, to doctors, nurses, family, friends, 
and coworkers, Joe had love and support. May the Eitl story be the 
story for many others in acute need. Now, Joe is competing again with 
joy in the Special Olympics, a remarkable feat for a remarkable young 
man.

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