[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 1]
[House]
[Pages 294-295]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          HONORING RON MILLER

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Virginia (Mr. Rigell) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. RIGELL. Mr. Speaker, it is a privilege for me to be here this 
morning and to share with you and our colleagues the story of an 
exceptional American, Ron Miller, who I am proud to say lives in 
Virginia's Second Congressional District, the district I have the 
privilege to serve and represent.
  Ron is 46 years old. He had always planned to go back to school; but 
at age 33, his life was turned upside down. He was diagnosed with Lou 
Gehrig's disease, or ALS, a devastating neurodegenerative disease that 
progressively affects nerves in the brain

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and the spinal cord. It is a disease for which, at present, there is no 
cure.
  Ron is paralyzed from the nose down; yet he used eye-gaze computer 
technology to complete his associate's degree in liberal arts, with 
honors, in a bold and courageous effort to bring attention to ALS.
  They have a wonderful staff at the Lake Taylor transitional facility 
where Ron lives, and where the graduation ceremony took place; and I 
saw tears coming down several of the staff members' eyes as they 
watched Ron receive his degree. Actually, the president of Excelsior 
College made the effort to fly down to be with us that day.
  I was deeply honored to be there and to have the privilege of sharing 
the commencement address, but it certainly wasn't my words that 
inspired everyone who was there. It was Ron's words that he shared 
through his computer.
  He didn't talk about himself. He didn't talk about how difficult 
things are for him. He mainly thanked all of those in his life that 
made the degree possible. He talked about the importance of education 
and the importance of finding a cure for ALS.
  I want to share just a small portion of what he shared that day. I 
watched his eyes as they guided the cursor on the screen to the 
``play'' button. When he hit it with his eyes, it actually started the 
computer to speak. He put it this way:

       I ask that you all bear with me as I stumble my way through 
     this. At least I can blame the computer if I mispronounce 
     anything.

  That got a laugh there. He has got a great sense of humor.
  He said:

       Thank you for ensuring I started each class not as a 
     disabled person, but as a differently abled person.

  He thanked all the nurses and the nurses' aides there. He said:

       You are my heroes. First of all, it takes a lot of work for 
     me to look this good.

  He has a great sense of humor.
  He thanked his family and his friends for their love and support.
  Speaking of life, he said:

       It isn't always easy--but life never is. I just have a 
     different set of challenges than most.

  He left us with this quote by John Wooden:

       Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can 
     do.

  Powerful words.
  To me, Mr. Speaker, Ron's courage and his remarkable achievement 
represent the very best of the American spirit and the human spirit. It 
is a strong heart that chooses to be grateful for life's simple 
blessings, one that values the gift of friendship, one that embraces 
the pursuit of knowledge, and one that does not rest in a relentless 
pursuit to lessen human suffering, especially for those who will 
follow.
  So I really count it as a high privilege to know Ron and to count him 
as a friend. He is fulfilling his mission to ensure that Americans are 
educated about the challenges that those with ALS face. He has also 
shown us what a person with ALS can accomplish.
  He and many others who are heavily burdened with ALS, and their 
families, are calling attention to the need for improved access. We 
have a wonderful facility in Virginia Beach that is a tremendous asset 
for those who are afflicted with a disease that affects their physical 
mobility and that includes many of our wounded warriors.

                              {time}  1030

  It is JT's Grommet Island. It is right there on Virginia Beach, 
really the first on the east coast that allows people that are mobility 
impaired to get down and experience the joy of being on the water and 
the sun and the sand and just being outside.
  There is a lot more work to be done, and I am so proud of our 
friends, Bruce Thompson and others. His son, Josh, is afflicted with 
ALS, and he led the effort to build that facility that I just mentioned 
there. It is called JT's Grommet Island, and it is named in honor of 
his son, Josh, who is struggling with this, and his family is as well.
  I just want to close my comments today with great respect for those 
who are struggling with this disease and to share with you something 
that Ron has said about his struggle. It is an outlook on life that I 
found profound and inspirational, and I posted it in my home where I 
see it every day. He said this: ``I may have ALS, but ALS does not have 
me.''
  So, Mr. Speaker, may Ron's remarkable achievement and the spirit that 
he exhibits in his life inspire all of us to join him in this worthy 
fight to find a cure for ALS.

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