[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 2]
[House]
[Page 1467]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         REMEMBERING AMANDA ROS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, a few days ago, I lost an 
irreplaceable part of my family. My mother, Amanda Ros, passed away 
from complications due to Alzheimer's. She was a warm, loving, and 
caring woman who led an extraordinary life. She was my father's rock, 
soulmate, best friend, and companion for 65 years. They led a unique 
and joyous life. She always kept him company and guided him with her 
wisdom and her kindness.
  It was her strength that helped our family transition as we fled the 
Castro regime and settled in south Florida. It was her determination 
and sense of purpose that inspired my father and her to start a small 
freight forwarding company in Miami that they ran together for over 30 
years.
  Abu Mandy, as we called her, was an amazing grandmother. When I was 
first elected to Congress, my kids were very young, and my mother was 
an unwavering source of support, taking care of them and traveling with 
me whenever I was in D.C. Her actions made my transition to Congress 
all the more manageable. My most ambitious goal was never to be a 
Member of Congress or to be chair of an important committee; it was to 
be for my children the kind of mother that she was to me.

                              {time}  1010

  She always taught me to be proud of my Cuban heritage and of my 
Jewish legacy.
  My mother had many causes that were near and dear to her heart. First 
and foremost, both my parents championed the cause of a free Cuba. They 
participated in many projects to achieve this noble goal, and it 
saddens me deeply that my mother did not live long enough to see this 
goal of a free Cuba become a reality.
  Her other passion, Mr. Speaker, was promoting organ donations. My 
mother believed in a world where individuals would help and care for 
one another. She believed that organ donation was the least that one 
could do for others, and I hope that others heed my mother's passion 
and become enthusiasts of organ donations.
  Losing someone we love to Alzheimer's is sadly becoming all too 
common in our country. They call Alzheimer's disease ``the long 
goodbye,'' and it is something that no family should have to go 
through. You see a person whom you remember to be full of life, wonder 
and passion become a shell of her former self.
  It destroys brain cells and causes memory changes, erratic behaviors 
and loss of body functions. It slowly and painfully took away my mom's 
identity, her ability to connect with others, to think, to eat, to 
talk, to walk, to find her way home.
  Every 70 seconds someone new develops Alzheimer's. Too often 
Alzheimer's falls under the wrongly held belief that it's an expected 
part of aging. We must raise awareness of the disease and provide a 
voice to the voiceless. We must improve early screening and detection, 
giving families and loved ones a better chance to prepare for and slow 
the onset of this disease.
  Families living with an Alzheimer's loved one need all the support 
that they can get. My mother was fortunate to have our entire family 
rallying around her, as well as outstanding medical personnel who 
helped us manage the disease.
  Eighty-seven percent of the time, it is family members who are the 
primary caregivers. Family members need assistance. It is tough for 
families to deal with everyday struggles of caring for loved ones with 
this disease, and the emotional stress is quite high. One-third of 
caregivers develop symptoms of the disease. The financial toll is 
significant.
  My mother may be gone, but her legacy and love will forever be a 
constant presence in our lives, and we must all work together for a 
cure for Alzheimer's.

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