[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 65 (Tuesday, April 14, 2026)]
[Senate]
[Page S1737]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                      REMEMBERING MARILYN McGUIRE

 Ms. DUCKWORTH. Mr. President, late last year, I had the 
pleasure of meeting with family caregivers from Illinois. These heroes 
selflessly take care of their loved ones when they are in a time of 
need, even at the expense of their own goals or plans. I heard the 
story of Brittany Hogan, one of the 2.2 million family caregivers in 
Illinois, on the anniversary of her mother's passing. Brittany had been 
her mother's caregiver and kindly shared more about her mother's life. 
It is on Brittany's behalf that I am speaking today.
  Marilyn McGuire spent 35 years as a public servant, working as a 
timekeeper for the Chicago Police Department. Marilyn brought 
generosity and a sense of humor to everything she did, and her 
coworkers loved Marilyn, treating her with great affection and even 
nicknaming her ``Beautiful.'' Marilyn was spirited and thoughtful, even 
with the complex health challenges she faced.
  As Marilyn battled scleroderma, lung disease, and many infections, 
Brittany became her full-time caregiver and advocate. Throughout these 
challenges, Marilyn was a fighter, never giving up or letting her 
spirit grow weak. Her passion for bringing people together and 
notoriety as the longtime host of family holiday events shone through, 
even from a hospital room, where she often played music and made guests 
comfortable as they came to comfort her.
  Even after her passing, Marilyn continued to give to others, 
requesting her body be donated to science in the hopes that her 
struggles could help someone else down the road. Marilyn was a generous 
and compassionate Illinoisan, and her legacy lives on in her daughter 
Brittany and her advocacy work for family caregivers.

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