[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 3]
[House]
[Page 4070]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     CARING FOR THOSE BATTLING ALS

  (Mr. FITZPATRICK asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. FITZPATRICK. Mr. Speaker, it is estimated that over 30,000 
Americans are living with the progressive neurodegenerative disease and 
condition ALS, or Lou Gehrig's Disease, at any time. That includes 
dozens in my Pennsylvania district, including Frank Mongiello and 
former Naval Officer Matthew Bellina.
  For those impacted by this disease, the toll is extraordinary, not 
only on their own well-being, but on their family and their finances. 
Thankfully for Matt and Frank, individuals like Jim Worthington and 
members of the Newtown Athletic Club have stepped up to offer emotional 
support and raised more than $200,000 for their cause.
  While these actions show the commendable efforts of one community, 
there is more that can be done on their behalf here in Washington. Next 
week, I will join Matt and Frank in the Nation's Capital to urge not 
only for essential ALS funding, but for access to experimental drugs. 
The bipartisan Right to Try Act would remove the barriers to these 
trial-stage medications for those with a terminal disease like ALS.
  The compassion of our communities and the long-term benefits of 
research must not prevent us from taking every single step possible in 
the here and now to care for those battling ALS.

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