DNC Aug 19, 2020
An activist who is unable to speak because of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis made his voice heard with a powerful speech about America’s “fundamentally broken” health care system at Tuesday night’s Democratic National Convention. Ady Barkan, 36, used a computerized voice to advocate for universal health care to fix a current system he called “dehumanizing.” “We live in the richest country in. disease Feb 25, 2020
I might look okay sitting here and if you see me sing, you would never know anything is wrong with me. I m wasting away, you might say, Tolve said.
But some would disagree because Tolve is still able to perform and next week s show could be the most important of his career. I m humbled. I m honored and humbled, he said.
Like Gehrig, who was diagnosed with ALS at the top of his game, Tolve has used his diagnosis to do more, to perform more, to travel more, until he no longer can. His goal is to bring attention to the currently uncurbable disease that affects 12,000 - 15,000 Americans each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The cause of ALS is unknown but researchers believe many factors, such as heredity and environmental exposure, could be linked.