Lee Terry: “Today, I am the luckiest man on the face of the earth. That one Yankee phrase immortalizes and is synonymous with…”

“Today, I am the luckiest man on the face of the earth. That one Yankee phrase immortalizes and is synonymous with courage, and that is why I am proud to stand with my friend from the Bronx and rise in support of his resolution, House Resolution 278. It is brought to the floor on June 19, 2003, the 100th birthday of Lou Gehrig, baseball's original 'Iron Horse,' and perhaps the greatest, or one of the greatest to ever play the game. Now, more importantly, this resolution recognizes the contribution that Gehrig and his legacy have made in the fight against ALS, the disease that claimed Lou Gehrig's life at age 37, and the disease that is named after him. So what is Lou Gehrig's disease? Quite simply, ALS is the slow but steady deterioration of nerve cells in the brain and in the spinal cord. When these motor neurons can no longer send impulses to the muscles, the muscles begin to waste away causing increased muscle weakness. As the disease reaches its advanced stages, its victims struggle to even breathe and swallow. There is no cure for ALS. Every day, an average of 15 people are newly diagnosed with ALS.”