Just when you think extreme partisanship has destroyed all civility and humanity in government, someone proves you wrong. Lt. Gov. Tim Murray (D) has sent out an email urging support for efforts to defeat ALS, a disease which is attacking his friend (yes, friend) former Gov. Paul Cellucci (R). Washington, DC folks could take a lesson…you can disagree politically, but still maintain respect for others (and even friendship!)
“July 20, 2011
Dear Friends,
As you may have seen recently on TV and read in the papers, former Governor Paul Cellucci has been diagnosed with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.
ALS is a devastating disease. There is no cure—at least not today. But hope for a breakthrough treatment is growing, and Gov. Cellucci is stepping forward to support the world-leading ALS research happening right here in Massachusetts.
I was serving on the Worcester City Council when Paul Cellucci became governor. We got to know each other through city affairs, and developed a professional friendship. I appreciated his focus on Central Massachusetts, and we shared the connection that people often do when they are from the same general area. Over time, however, as much as I valued Gov. Cellucci’s interest in helping the Worcester area, I came to realize he wasn’t just favoring Central Massachusetts. He was working hard to serve all the people, in all corners of our Commonwealth.
Now, he is facing this disease with grace, strength and the sense of public purpose that has always defined Paul Cellucci’s character by becoming a public advocate for research in hopes of helping all people who are hit with ALS.
He’s launched an ambitious project to support the work of Dr. Robert Brown, chair of the Department of Neurology at UMass Medical School, an internationally known researcher and physician who is among the world’s foremost authorities on ALS and similar neurodegenerative diseases. Dr. Brown and the team at UMass have made important breakthroughs in understanding the processes of ALS, and they are hopeful more advances are on the horizon that would, some day, significantly help those afflicted with Lou Gehrig’s disease.
No one would have blamed Gov. Cellucci if he had retired from public view, and focused on his health and his family. But that’s not what Paul Cellucci is all about. He’s a fighter for the common good, and we can help him. UMass Medical School has launched a special website, www.umassals.com that I would urge you to see. On the site you can learn about ALS, the important research ongoing at UMass, and hear directly from Gov. Cellucci, Dr. Brown and others about how you can get involved in the fight against ALS.
Thank you.”
This email was signed Tim Murray www.timmurray.org
Please share widely!
There is such a concept as “collective free agency” and that we as a society and culture “get what we pay for”. Thank you, Tim Murray.