This article is an opinion op-ed from the NYT. Thanks to Pam P for sending it in.
“Ady Barkan rolled into Washington this week in a motorized wheelchair, unable to talk or to chew food or to lift his arm to scratch an itch, but determined to deliver the message that health care is a human right. Just 35 years old, he is dying of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as A.L.S. or Lou Gehrig’s disease. He has become a hero to many because of the way he is living his final years and months and days. His body is giving up; he will not.
The House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, and Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders sought out Mr. Barkan, who came from his home inCalifornia to testify in favor of universal Medicare eligibility.
A tour guide on a Segway saw Mr. Barkan outside the Capitol and briefly abandoned her tour to roll over and meet him. She seemed a little awe-struck. “Thank you for fighting,” she said.