On the recordAugust 3, 2017
in about 5 minutes, I am going to be asking for consent to pass the Trickett Wendler, Frank Mongiello, Jordan McLinn, and Matthew Belina Right to Try Act of 2017. I wish to take a few moments, though, to tell the story of how that right-to-try bill, which has been passed by 37 States, obtained that name. I believe it was probably March of 2014 that I met Trickett Wendler, a young mom with three children, who came to Washington, DC, with a group of other individuals advocating for those patients and their families with people suffering from ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease--an incurable and devastating disease. A week before meeting Trickett, I met with the Goldwater Institute, which was talking about its right-to-try legislation. They were beginning to pass through State legislatures. Just mentioning the fact that I supported the right to try brought tears streaming down Trickett Wendler's face. Unfortunately, Trickett Wendler lost her battle to ALS on March 18, 2015. She has inspired something that I think is going to give so many thousands--maybe tens of thousands, maybe millions--of Americans hope when they face a similar type of disease, where there is no hope, where there are no further options, other than potentially an experimental drug that has been proven safe, according to the FDA.…





