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A former staffer of the Obama-Biden administration with a rare neurological disorder made an impassioned plea for “relentless activism” in order to elect Kamala Harris this November.
Brian Wallach, who has Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, appeared on the first night of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) alongside his wife Sandra Abrevaya.
The couple met while working on the first presidential campaign of Barack Obama. Wallach joined the campaign in 2007 as its deputy political director for the New Hampshire primary. After the campaign, he worked at a law firm before joining the White House counsel’s office in 2011 and then became a federal criminal prosecutor in the US Attorney’s Office in Chicago.
Wallach received his diagnosis in 2017 and was given six months to live. On Monday, he appeared on stage in a wheelchair and received a standing ovation from convention attendees.
“We’ve seen just how relentless activism can beat the odds just like what Brian has been doing for seven years and that is what we need right now to elect Kamala Harris,” Abreyava said.
“We all want to make life better for the next generation and believe that people like Brian can be the first generation of survivors, and we can make life better for our caregivers too.”
Following their appearance, Obama posted a clip of their speech to X, writing: Brian and Sandra are the epitome of hope.
“When Brian was diagnosed with ALS, he turned tragedy into action by launching @iamalsorg and leading a movement to find a cure. I’m inspired by these two—and after you hear their story at the @DemConvention, you will be, too.”
ALS gradually robs a patient of their motor skills until the ability to walk, talk, stand and eat are gone. About 5,000 people in the US are diagnosed every year.
In January 2019, Wallach and Abreyava launched I Am ALS, a nonprofit galvanizing the voices of people living with the disease and their loved ones. Its tagline is, "ALS is relentless. So are we."
On December 23, 2021 Joe Biden signed the “Accelerating Access to Critical Therapies for ALS Act” (ACT for ALS) into law, which promised one billion dollars to fund new research and earlier access to treatments for terminally ill patients.
“We will also keep fighting alongside patients living with Parkinson’s, early onset dementia and Alzheimer’s,” Abrevaya told the DNC.
“This November we are voting for our future,” she said, adding on Wallach’s behalf, “because we plan to be around for it.”
