Thank You Congressman Hultgren

On Tuesday, Congressman Randy Hultgren hosted a town hall in St. Charles. I was happy to see that he made himself available to a wide range of his constituents. I have attended a few coffee events recently, also hosted by the Congressman, and have found him to be responsive and attentive to constituents concerns. Regardless of the political beliefs of those who attended the town hall, I believe there is one issue that we can all agree on and one which Congressman Hultgren has been a steadfast supporter of.

According to the Alzheimer's Association, Alzheimer's disease is the only disease in the top 10 that has no treatment, no cure, and no survivors. After losing my own grandfather to the disease I decided to become a champion for the cause. With 5.5 million Americans living with the disease, the time has never been more critical to find a cure and to help improve the lives of those living with the disease here in Illinois and across the country. We cannot do it without the support of Congress. During the town hall meeting, the Congressman agreed he would not support funding cuts to NIH. This is critical as federal researching funding dollars for Alzheimer's disease are funneled and then distributed through NIH. Without the support of federal funding for research, millions more Americans will suffer from this disease. Further, at the (current) cost of $259 billion per year, a number which is expected to top 1 trillion dollars by 2050, we cannot afford as a country not to invest in research.

I want to thank the Congressman for taking time to listen to my story, my concerns, and for agreeing to help us in the fight to create a world without Alzheimer's.

Ashley B.