Ex pro-football player and activist Steve Gleason receives Congressional Gold Medal - The Hill

Steve Gleason, a former New Orleans Saints safety and current activist, is being awarded the Congressional Gold Medal for his philanthropic work with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), which he was diagnosed with in 2011.

ALS is commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, which is defined as a progressive neurodegenerative disease affecting nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, according to the ALS Association. 

Over time, ALS causes deterioration of motor neurons, which in turn negatively affects the brain’s ability to control muscle movement. Eventually, it can result in the loss of speech, movement, speaking and breathing. 

Gleason’s diagnosis came in 2011 after six seasons with the New Orleans Saints and eight years in pro football overall, where he was perhaps best known for blocking a punt by the rival Atlanta Falcons. This became a symbol of post-Hurricane Katrina recovery for New Orleans. 

With the conclusion of his NFL career, Gleason’s career in activism began. He established the Team Gleason Foundation with the mission of empowering those with ALS and “To create a global conversation about ALS to ultimately find continued solutions and an end to the disease.”

Gleason also worked to pass the Steve Gleason Act, a law expanding Medicare benefits to providing “eye tracking accessories for speech generating devices and to remove the rental cap for durable medical equipment” to make speech-generating equipment accessible to those with ALS. 

In a statement, Gleason said that he feels “undeserving” but “honored.”

He concluded by saying, “I am honored, and accept the Congressional Gold Medal for all the families who have been diagnosed with ALS, as well as anyone struggling to overcome life’s inevitable adversities.” 

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January 16, 2020 at 03:29AM
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Ex pro-football player and activist Steve Gleason receives Congressional Gold Medal - The Hill
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