Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, tonight I rise in solidarity with a wonderful and determined South Florida woman, Millie Munoz. Millie has dystonia, a little-known movement disorder that causes a person's muscles to contract and spasm involuntarily. The trademark of this disorder is repetitive, patterned and uncontrollable movements. It resembles opposing muscles competing for control of a body part. There are over a dozen forms of dystonia, and it is a symptom of many major diseases and conditions. Dystonia affects men, women and children of all backgrounds, all ages, and does not discriminate. And there is no cure. Millie was born in Miami and had exhibited symptoms of dystonia since childhood. Each symptom was treated separately. She wore a brace on her right leg to help with walking and attended speech therapy classes throughout her school years. Other symptoms were neglected entirely, and Millie was told to do the best she could with the pain. She went from doctor to doctor, and was often told that it was all in her head. About 6 years ago, she started exhibiting other symptoms, only to be given one misdiagnosis after another. Millie had pain in her neck, her shoulders, her wrists, her hips, and she fell constantly. Finally in the summer of 2006, she was diagnosed with generalized dystonia, a condition where all of the muscles of her body are impacted. Shortly thereafter, Millie's life as she knew it came to an end.…”