[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 6]
[House]
[Page 8197]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          ALS AWARENESS MONTH

  (Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, May is ALS Awareness 
Month. It is a time many lend their voices to the fight against ALS and 
help raise awareness about this devastating disease.
  ALS is often referred to as Lou Gehrig's disease, after the baseball 
great was diagnosed with the progressive neurodegenerative disease that 
affects the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord.
  Recently, I had the honor of meeting with people from Pennsylvania to 
talk about ALS, including Michael Bond, who has ALS, and his wife and 
caretaker, Karen Bond, both of Edinboro, Pennsylvania; and Jayne 
Cawthorne of Centre County, Pennsylvania, who is a long-time advocate 
for the ALS Association. Jayne and her daughter have been visiting with 
me since I was first elected to Congress, and their advocacy continues 
to build hope while their association aggressively searches for new 
treatments and cures.
  I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 1361, which would ensure access 
to complex rehabilitation technology such as power wheelchairs and 
their components and accessories. When you have lost the ability to 
walk, move your hands, or hold your head up, these technologies are 
critical.

                          ____________________