[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 6]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 7746]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 RECOGNIZING MAY AS ALS AWARENESS MONTH

                                  _____
                                 

                      HON. MICHAEL G. FITZPATRICK

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                          Friday, May 9, 2014

  Mr. FITZPATRICK. Mr. Speaker, it's estimated that each year 5,600 
Americans are diagnosed with ALS--or Lou Gehrig's Disease. A disease 
that occurs throughout the world with no racial, ethnic or 
socioeconomic boundaries.
  For one young man in my district in Pennsylvania, those stats hit 
close to home when a close family friend received the diagnosis.
  Nine-year-old Jared Laff wasn't satisfied with just sitting by, 
though. He set out to earn his Junior Black Belt in karate--dedicating 
months of hard work and training to his friend Ron. Through his 
perseverance, Jared was awarded his belt in March as well as raising 
$2,200 for the fight against ALS.
  Jared's commitment and compassion are an example to all who want to 
make a difference.
  May is ALS Awareness Month, but thanks to people like Jared the goal 
of drawing attention--and funding--to the fight against ALS is a year-
round effort.

                          ____________________