Mr. Speaker, ALS is a devastating disease that affects thousands of Canadians. Today, on Lou Gehrig day, we think about the brave people who faced ALS with profound dignity and strength, people like Gehrig, like Stephen Hawking and jazz great, Charles Mingus.
Today, I would like to recognize those who tend to remain unseen and unheralded, the caregivers. the ones caring for their parents, spouses and children who are battling this disease. These are often women facing daunting physical and emotional challenges, women like Marie-Christine Tremblay who supports her husband with ALS and her mother with Alzheimer's. These women hold their families together through love and determination, and through back-breaking and heart-wrenching work.
Since ALS is such a relentless disease, robbing their loved ones of their most basic functions day by day, their struggles are often overlooked. We thank them for their commitment in the face of unimaginable obstacles. They share the strength Gehrig, the determination of Hawking and the creative genius of Mingus.