The House of Representatives, in a gesture of support for a fellow member battling Parkinson’s disease, postponed the final vote of the year on a bill that aims to eventually eradicate the debilitating condition.

The legislation is titled after Jennifer Wexton, a Democratic representative from Virginia who suffers from the illness, and the late brother of Gus Bilirakis, a Republican representative from Florida, who passed away in May after a prolonged fight against the disease.

The bill establishes a council of public health specialists and individuals from the private sector who will create a yearly report assessing the progress made in preventing, treating, and finding a cure for Parkinson’s disease. Bilirakis and Rep. Paul Tonko, D-N.Y., are the main supporters of this legislation.

The vote on Thursday was not very contentious, as it was approved by a vote of 407 to 9. However, it did evoke strong emotions.

Wexton, now serving her third term representing a Northern Virginia district, has physically deteriorated so rapidly this year that colleague Jennifer McClellan, D-Va., read Wexton’s floor speech for her the day before the vote. It was a haunting self-portrayal of what she has endured.

In the past year, she made it a routine to wake up early and head to the gym. This year, she is able to confidently walk through the House chamber. However, she started using walking sticks in the summer and now heavily relies on a walker.

“According to Wexton’s statement, my spouse and I were anticipating reaching the enjoyable stage of our lives as our younger son headed off to college to join his brother. However, instead of having an empty nest, he will now be taking on a caregiving role.”

She mentioned that in the future, we won’t have the luxury of scuba diving in the morning and relaxing under a palm tree playing Scrabble in the afternoon during our retirement, which is more than ten years away.

Approximately 1 million individuals in the United States are affected by Parkinson’s disease. Wexton acknowledged that her family is not the only one facing this challenge and praised the legislation as a significant milestone towards a future where “no family will have to go through what ours has.”

She stated that we all need to acknowledge that we have the ability and obligation to improve our efforts in combating these devastating illnesses.

55-year-old Wexton has declared that she will not run for re-election next year. She explained that she had to accept the fact that she will have to stop doing what she enjoys, but she intends to persist in advocating for the larger Parkinson’s community for as long as she can.

McClellan stated that she and Wexton both served in the Virginia General Assembly before Wexton was elected to the House. She shared with her colleagues how she witnessed Wexton transform the pain of others into meaningful progress.

McClellan expressed his honor to work alongside her as she transforms her personal pain into progress and advocates for those who are unable to advocate for themselves.

Multiple legislators advocating for the legislation shared personal anecdotes about their loved ones’ struggles with the neurological illness. Representative Russ Fulcher of Idaho shared that his father, grandfather, and brother were all affected by the disease. He then directly addressed Wexton.

Fulcher expressed his gratitude to Representative Wexton, acknowledging that this bill would not have been possible without her. He ended by stating that there is hope and that even though this disease may affect one’s physical body, it can never harm their inner being.