WASHINGTON — Amid the divisiveness that has gripped Washington during impeachment talks, Republican and Democratic leaders of Congress united Wednesday to honor Saints star and ALS advocate Steve Gleason.
Gleason is the 163rd recipient of the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian award bestowed by Congress.
"I don't see my story as a football story or even an ALS story," Gleason said. "It's a human story."
A Congressional Gold Medal is presented to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) advocate and former National Football League (NFL) player, Steve Gleason, in Statuary Hall on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2020, in Washington. Holding the medal is his wife Michel Gleason. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
Gleason has become a leading advocate for people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis since he was diagnosed with the paralyzing neuromuscular disease in 2011. He worked with Microsoft to develop technology to aid people with ALS and championed the Steve Gleason Act through Congress to expand access to devices that help patients with degenerative diseases communicate.
Gleason said he was accepting the Congressional Gold Medal on behalf of the thousands of families affected by ALS and millions more living with disabilities.
“I’m grateful to the literally thousands of people who have directly uplifted me both emotionally and physically in my 42 years,” he said. “If we can keep exploring, sharing our weaknesses with each other and compassionately collaborate to solve problems, our human potential is boundless.”
His wife, Michel, and their son Rivers sat alongside him on the front row of the ceremony. The couple also has a toddler, Gray, who was not in attendance.
"They give me purpose. The purpose of a lifetime," Gleason said.
Each Congressional Gold Medal is uniquely crafted for the individual or institution receivings it. Gleason helped with the design of his.
One side shows an image of Gleason, fist pumped in the air, No. 37 across his chest, when he took the Superdome field after announcing his diagnosis in 2011.
The reverse side features a forest-lined stream with a mountain in the background in honor of Gleason's native state of Washington and the words “Keep Exploring.”
Gleason, who retired from the NFL in 2008, was already a New Orleans football folk hero after he blocked a punt by the Atlanta Falcons in the Saints' first game in the Superdome after Hurricane Katrina.
The story was recounted by several of Wednesday's attendees who also praised his commitment to helping other people with ALS.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-California, sat by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, for the event, which took place just an hour before Pelosi signed articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump and transmitted them to the GOP-controlled Senate.
At the Gleason ceremony, sitting among members of the Louisiana Congressional delegation and ALS advocates, attendees also included Saints quarterback Drew Brees, Saints owner Gayle Benson and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.
Brees recounted the moment he learned Gleason had been diagnosed with ALS. The quarterback was sitting on the team bus in Washington state when he got an email from Gleason promising to "fight and believe and smile and laugh and cry and love" through the disease he had just been diagnosed with.
"Of all the people on this earth, Steve is the last person to ever deserve something like this," Brees said. "It's not fair."
Gleason is the first NFL player to receive the medal. Previous honorees include Thomas Edison, Rosa Parks and Jackie Robinson.
“George Washington, Nelson Mandela, Mother Teresa, Steve Gleason,” said U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, a Baton Rouge Republican who spearheaded the effort to award Gleason with the medal. “Everyone made the point that so few Americans have been awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, but those who have did something significant for society or for our country. … Steve has lived beyond himself.”
WASHINGTON — Amid the divisiveness that has gripped Washington during impeachment talks, Republican and Democratic leaders of Congress united Wednesday to honor Saints star and ALS advocate Steve Gleason.
Gleason is the 163rd recipient of the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian award bestowed by Congress.
"I don't see my story as a football story or even an ALS story," Gleason said. "It's a human story."
Gleason has become a leading advocate for people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis since he was diagnosed with the paralyzing neuromuscular disease in 2011. He worked with Microsoft to develop technology to aid people with ALS and championed the Steve Gleason Act through Congress to expand access to devices that help patients with degenerative diseases communicate.
Gleason said he was accepting the Congressional Gold Medal on behalf of the thousands of families affected by ALS and millions more living with disabilities.
“I’m grateful to the literally thousands of people who have directly uplifted me both emotionally and physically in my 42 years,” he said. “If we can keep exploring, sharing our weaknesses with each other and compassionately collaborate to solve problems, our human potential is boundless.”
His wife, Michel, and their son Rivers sat alongside him on the front row of the ceremony. The couple also has a toddler, Gray, who was not in attendance.
"They give me purpose. The purpose of a lifetime," Gleason said.
Each Congressional Gold Medal is uniquely crafted for the individual or institution receivings it. Gleason helped with the design of his.
One side shows an image of Gleason, fist pumped in the air, No. 37 across his chest, when he took the Superdome field after announcing his diagnosis in 2011.
The reverse side features a forest-lined stream with a mountain in the background in honor of Gleason's native state of Washington and the words “Keep Exploring.”
Gleason, who retired from the NFL in 2008, was already a New Orleans football folk hero after he blocked a punt by the Atlanta Falcons in the Saints' first game in the Superdome after Hurricane Katrina.
The story was recounted by several of Wednesday's attendees who also praised his commitment to helping other people with ALS.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-California, sat by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, for the event, which took place just an hour before Pelosi signed articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump and transmitted them to the GOP-controlled Senate.
At the Gleason ceremony, sitting among members of the Louisiana Congressional delegation and ALS advocates, attendees also included Saints quarterback Drew Brees, Saints owner Gayle Benson and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.
Brees recounted the moment he learned Gleason had been diagnosed with ALS. The quarterback was sitting on the team bus in Washington state when he got an email from Gleason promising to "fight and believe and smile and laugh and cry and love" through the disease he had just been diagnosed with.
"Of all the people on this earth, Steve is the last person to ever deserve something like this," Brees said. "It's not fair."
Gleason is the first NFL player to receive the medal. Previous honorees include Thomas Edison, Rosa Parks and Jackie Robinson.
“George Washington, Nelson Mandela, Mother Teresa, Steve Gleason,” said U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, a Baton Rouge Republican who spearheaded the effort to award Gleason with the medal. “Everyone made the point that so few Americans have been awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, but those who have did something significant for society or for our country. … Steve has lived beyond himself.”
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