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Friday, August 14, 2015

By Jason McDonald


For those who are sports fans, the name of Steve Gleason may be familiar to you. To the uninitiated, Gleason played football for the New Orleans Saints, known mostly for his game-winning punt stop in 2006. As time went on, though, his health deteriorated and it was confirmed that he had ALS. This is where I'd like to discuss the Steve Gleason Act, and why the likes of Stuart Millheiser put so much weight into such a potentially beneficial change.

As Stuart Millheiser will tell you, the Steve Gleason Act was initially designed for the purpose of giving ALS patients access to healthcare technology. Keep in mind that there are many different challenges that the patients in question suffer from. One of the most noteworthy one is slurred speech, or simply difficulty when speaking. Shouldn't these patients have access to language devices, which can help in this regard?

Mobility is another factor that Stu Millheiser can draw attention to as well. For those who do not know, most ALS patients suffer from muscle degeneration, meaning that even the simple act of walking can prove to be an impossibility. Shouldn't these individuals have access to wheelchairs as well, so that they may be able to move from one place to the next? This is yet another factor that would go into the bigger picture of the Steve Gleason Act.

Up until recently, the Steve Gleason Act was only a concept, unable to be passed. However, last month on the 16th, the U.S. House of Representatives passed it. To say that this was a big moment for ALS activists would have been an understatement, as it allowed patients to continually have access to the most essential tools for living. Everything from nursing implements to the Internet will remain, and they will be utilized, by these individuals, from day to day.

It's easy to see that numerous details exist when it comes to the Steve Gleason Act. ALS patients will require care, which goes without saying, and it's easy to see that receiving said care has been a challenge. For this reason alone, the aforementioned act holds importance, and I am sure that it will come in handy during the future. Until a solid cure is set in place, as far as ALS is concerned, the accessibility of essentials will always be welcome.




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