I think it’s safe to say that Steve Gleason has been inspiring us for a long time now-even long before that fateful blocked kick. He personifies the hope that we needed back then and still need today.
I believe that what makes Steve Gleason and the Gleason Foundation’s message so impactful is that, despite the fact that its primary mission is to support those with ALS, a terminal illness, Steve and his team have taught us how to live. He has been a living example of how to keep moving forward, how to choose happiness, how to reach the top of the mountain.
I am so honored to help expand the reach of the Gleason Foundation’s mission by authoring HB 318. If finally passed, my bill would create a Team Gleason Foundation license plate and would require a $25 annual royalty fee to help fund the Foundation’s research. So far, it has passed through unopposed, and I am grateful for my colleagues who have voted for the passage of this bill, thus enabling the great mission of this Foundation. This is how you move forward in the face of adversity-you pave the road for those who follow and do what you can to help ease their pain.
I intend to take Steve’s message with me to the Floor of the Legislature. We have come a long way to establish a stable and secure budget for the people of Louisiana. We have fought through years of fiscal cliffs, mid-year budget cuts, and devastating slashing of vital services for our people and we have just finally come out on the other side. I intend to protect that hard work and not allow some Legislators to rollback the progress we have made. I will not let them re-introduce financial insecurity and doubt and pain. The people of Louisiana deserve a bright and stable future. They deserve to live. This is the road that I intend to help pave.
Indeed, there will be no white flags.
