Robert Torricelli: “3 years ago, during a visit by a constituent, I met a young man from southern New Jersey named Kevin O'Donnell. I have…”

“3 years ago, during a visit by a constituent, I met a young man from southern New Jersey named Kevin O'Donnell. I have shared his story with the Senate before. But on this day, having met with some success, I share it with you again. Five years ago, Kevin was 31 years old. He was a young father, a husband of a lovely woman, and in perfect health. He took his daughter skiing one day and upon returning home felt a pain in his leg. It continued over a period of time, bothering him, so he went to visit the doctor. You can only imagine the shock when this perfectly healthy young man--father of this little girl--discovered he had been stricken with ALS, known to most of us as Lou Gehrig's disease. Since that day, Kevin O'Donnell's wife and daughter have watched the life flow out of his body. Going from a healthy young man, they watched him lose control of his legs and arms, the ability to speak, and even the ability to breathe. Life simply evaporated from Kevin O'Donnell's body. When he came in to see me those years ago, he had a very simple request--so logical I could not conceive of an argument against it. While he was waiting to die, not only was his life leaving him but the financial security of his family. Nursing care, medical assistance, things to ease the pain, to maintain some dignity in life, to provide relief for his wife and his family, were costing thousands of dollars.…”