[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 9]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 12183]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




           IN HONOR OF COLORADO TRAIL FOR MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. MARK UDALL

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, June 9, 2005

  Mr. UDALL of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize seven 
men, George Bishop, Matt Celesta, Joe McConaty, Matthew McConaty, John-
Paul Maxfield, Dan Murray, and Chad Spurway, all Colorado natives, who 
have embarked on an incredible journey for Multiple Sclerosis.
  Multiple Sclerosis is the number one disabling neurological disease 
among young adults, and the most commonly diagnosed neurological 
disease among those aged 20 to 50. Some 400,000 Americans, including 
7,000 Coloradans, have MS. The incident rate in Colorado is much 
higher, 1 in 625, than the rate of southern states such as Texas, which 
has a rate of 1 in 10,000. These men recognize the severity of the 
disease and are giving themselves in an exemplary way to combat the 
disease.
  On July 2, 2005, seven life-long friends will begin a five-week hike 
along the famous Colorado Trail. The trail covers eight mountain 
ranges, seven national forests, six wilderness areas, and five major 
river systems in the 471-mile path from Durango to Denver. The purpose 
of this special journey is to raise awareness of Multiple Sclerosis and 
raise money to help find the cure to a disease that has the potential 
to become the polio of this generation.
  These seven men are the definition of community service, giving their 
time and energy towards such an extraordinary cause. They have started 
an organization, Colorado Trail For Multiple Sclerosis, ``CT4MS,'' and 
are raising money to donate to The Rocky Mountain Multiple Sclerosis 
Center. To date, CT4MS has raised $132,192 of $250,000 they hope to 
raise by the time they finish in August. They are well on their way to 
raising an enormous amount of money towards a cause that needs 
immediate attention.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in commending George 
Bishop, Matt Celesta, Joe McConaty, Matthew McConaty, John-Paul 
Maxfield, Dan Murray, and Chad Spurway for their efforts and pledging 
support for Colorado Trail For Multiple Sclerosis.

                          ____________________