CELEBRATING CEREBRAL PALSY DAY

CELEBRATING CEREBRAL PALSY DAY

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 48 (Tuesday, March 17, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 48 (Tuesday, March 17, 2026)] [House] [Pages H2534-H2535] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] CELEBRATING CEREBRAL PALSY DAY (Mr. Latimer of New York was recognized to address the House for 5 minutes.) Mr. LATIMER. Mr. Speaker, let me recognize the talented medical research efforts ongoing to combat the scourge of cerebral palsy, an abnormal development or damage to parts of the brain during pregnancy or early in a baby's life, that controls movement, balance, and posture and has a devastating effect throughout that person's life. There is no known cure for CP. Supportive treatments including physical [[Page H2535]] therapy, speech therapy, and some medications help, as well. CP is the most common movement disorder in children. Researchers are working every day to identify strategies to address the causes and effects of cerebral palsy. One such pioneer is Dr. Kathleen Friel, a Westchester resident who herself has battled with CP since birth. She has overcome her own case to achieve master's and doctoral degrees in physiology and neuroscience. She has also written and lectured extensively about the disease and therapies to reduce its impact--all of this personal bravery and effort while this Federal Government blindly and foolishly cuts NIH funding for the very research victims so desperately need. Mr. Speaker, from the floor of the House of Representatives, we salute Dr. Kathleen Friel for her personal battle with CP and her lifetime commitment to ease the suffering of her fellow individuals who also deal with cerebral palsy. {time} 1015 Celebrating St. Thomas Mar Thoma Church Mr. LATIMER. Mr. Speaker, this Sunday, the congregants of St. Thomas Mar Thoma Church will celebrate their 45th annual parish day, reflecting on their years of heritage and gratitude for parishioners not only from Yonkers, where the church is located, but from those who live across Westchester, the Bronx, and elsewhere in the metropolitan area. The church dedication dates back to January 25, 1981, with the present house of worship on Morris Street, in Yonkers, established in June of 1990. This parish has taken on a mission for youth ministry, the Junior Conference for Sunday School Children, and regional activity for youth camps from Connecticut to Pennsylvania. The church provides its Christian charitable outreach with a community barbecue annually on Memorial Day and clothing drives and giveaways for needy in the neighborhood. Taking their cue from the great apostle St. Thomas, who went from Jesus' side to India to deliver a Christian message of faith, St. Thomas Mar Thoma has delivered a message of service and faith in this current day. From the floor of the House of Representatives, we salute the clergy and the congregants of St. Thomas Mar Thoma Church on this, the 45th parish day. Birthday Wishes to Vanessa Gibson Mr. LATIMER. Mr. Speaker, I extend happy birthday wishes this week to Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson as she celebrates another year of service to her Bronx neighbors and friends. I had the pleasure of serving with Vanessa as a colleague in the New York State Assembly alongside many former assembly colleagues, Joe Morelle, Adriano Espaillat, Paul Tonko, Claudia Tenney, Nicole Malliotakis, Grace Meng, and Leader Hakeem Jeffries. Vanessa Gibson's service in that chamber, exemplary as it was, was a prelude to her subsequent tenure in the New York City Council, where she was elected in 2013 and 2017, and now her historic election as the first female and the first African American to serve as Bronx borough president in 2021, reelected in 2025. As she celebrates her birthday this Thursday, March 19, we give her a happy birthday shout-out from the floor of the House of Representatives. Happy birthday to Vanessa Gibson. ____________________