Paralyzed Veterans of America Releases Statement Following Department of Veterans Affairs' Announcement Not to Pursue Large-Scale Reduction-in-Force
'The VA indicated today that its workforce would see a reduction of approximately 30,000 staff from its starting level at the beginning of FY2025 to the end of this fiscal year in September. PVA's highest priority remains the timely delivery of high-quality health care and earned benefits for veterans with spinal cord injuries or diseases, like ALS and MS. Our concerns are not simply about numbers on an org chart but rather the quality of life, independence, and well-being of our nation's veterans.
'We look forward to continuing to work with VA Secretary Collins and his team on their commitment to deliver the best outcomes for all veterans and ensure the availability of resources needed to fill any gaps. As PVA shared with Secretary Collins earlier this year, there are opportunities for meaningful realignment of resources within VA, even if that means reduction in areas that do not improve upon mission delivery for VA.'
About Paralyzed Veterans of AmericaParalyzed Veterans of America is a 501(c)(3) non-profit and the only congressionally chartered veterans service organization dedicated solely for the benefit and representation of veterans with spinal cord injury or diseases. The organization ensures veterans receive the benefits earned through service to our nation; monitors their care in VA spinal cord injury units; and funds research and education in the search for a cure and improved care for individuals with paralysis.As a life-long partner and advocate for veterans and all people with disabilities, PVA also develops training and career services, works to ensure accessibility in public buildings and spaces, and provides health and rehabilitation opportunities through sports and recreation. With more than 70 offices and 33 chapters, Paralyzed Veterans of America serves veterans, their families, and their caregivers in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. Learn more at PVA.org.
Contact: Oname Thompson 703-864-5980 cellOnameT@PVA.org
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New Straits Times
28-07-2025
- New Straits Times
MP urges government to list etomidate as dangerous drug
KUALA LUMPUR: A government backbencher has called on the government to list etomidate under the Poisons Act and the Dangerous Drugs Act, following reports of the drug being fatal in Singapore. Bandar Kuching member of parliament Dr Kelvin Yii said etomidate is an intravenous anaesthetic drug that has been misused as a recreational substance through vape products, often marketed as Kpods. "This is not just a theory or speculation. We are witnessing the harsh reality where this drug has already claimed lives in our neighbouring country, Singapore. "If Malaysia does not act swiftly and firmly, we too may face preventable deaths, especially among our youth. "Etomidate is an intravenous anaesthetic drug, but it has been misused as a recreational substance. It is not safe. There is a risk of sudden death when inhaling etomidate," he said during his debate on the Poisons (Amendment) Bill 2025. He said users may suffer severe respiratory distress, sudden unconsciousness, injury, and adrenal crisis, which affects the body's ability to produce stress hormones like cortisol for several days. "This can cause dangerously low blood pressure and organ failure." Yii said Kpods, which often contain this substance, are heavily marketed to young people. He added that Singapore has listed etomidate under its Poisons Act and has gone a step further to upgrade its classification to a dangerous drug. "I believe we should learn from this and not wait until our children are affected or lives are lost. "I call on the government to classify etomidate as a dangerous drug. "I believe the Health Ministry, the National Anti-Drugs Agency, and the Home Ministry must ensure that both the Poisons Act and the Dangerous Drugs Act are amended to explicitly regulate etomidate as an illegal substance, with penalties that reflect its serious harm to our children. "We must also enforce existing vape laws more strictly. This includes increasing inspections and raids against illegal vape distributors and considering stricter controls over vape liquids and devices," he said. He also urged the government to enhance Malaysia's capabilities in detection and forensic analysis. He said immediate funding should be allocated to the Chemistry Department, the police forensic unit, and relevant laboratories to acquire specialised equipment such as GC-MS/MS, and to develop validated testing protocols for detecting etomidate in vape liquids and biological samples like urine and blood. "I also urge the Health Ministry to issue strong warnings and implement aggressive public education campaigns. "We need a national campaign to ensure that our children understand the dangers of this poison. "There should also be messaging that Kpods can stop your breathing and kill you instantly. Etomidate is not a toy. These Kpods are not toys. I believe this campaign must continue and be targeted at both parents and children," he said. Last week, it was reported that Singapore is working to list etomidate as a Class C drug under its Misuse of Drugs Act. Singapore's Health Minister Ong Ye Kung was quoted in a report published by CNA as saying that authorities had randomly tested more than 100 seized vape devices, and one-third were found to contain etomidate. Ong also noted that there have been deaths including from traffic accidents and unnatural causes in which etomidate was implicated, with investigations still ongoing.
Herald Malaysia
27-07-2025
- Herald Malaysia
‘A voice told me not to be afraid': The story of Lourdes' 72nd recognized miracle
Antonia Raco, a 67-year-old Italian woman long affected by an incurable neurodegenerative illness, was officially introduced to the press on July 25 in Lourdes, where her healing was recognized as the 72nd miracle attributed to the intercession of the Virgin Mary since the apparitions of 1858. Jul 27, 2025 Pilgrims light candles at the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes in France. | Credit: Courtney Mares/CNA By Solène Tadié Antonia Raco, a 67-year-old Italian woman long affected by an incurable neurodegenerative illness, was officially introduced to the press on July 25 in Lourdes, where her healing was recognized as the 72nd miracle attributed to the intercession of the Virgin Mary since the apparitions of 1858. Diagnosed in 2006 with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) — a progressive and fatal condition — Raco experienced a recovery that defied medical explanation.? First announced by the Sanctuary of Lourdes on April 16 this year, the recognition marked the culmination of 16 years of medical, canonical, and pastoral inquiry. Raco, a mother and active parishioner from Basilicata in southern Italy, had been living with the disease for several years when she traveled to Lourdes in 2009. 'I had wanted to go to Lourdes since I was a child,' she recalled. That wish came true that summer, when she and her husband Antonio travelled to the shrine with the Italian pilgrimage association Unitalsi. The experience, however, was not exactly as she had once imagined: She arrived in a wheelchair, already struggling to breathe and swallow. On the second day, sanctuary volunteers brought her to the baths. 'We prayed together. That's when I heard a beautiful young female voice say three times: 'Don't be afraid!'' she recounted during the press conference in Lourdes, held in the presence of religious and medical authorities. Raco wore the white veil and uniform of the Hospitallers of Lourdes — the volunteer caregivers she now joins each year, assisting the sick with the same compassion once shown to her. 'At that moment, I burst into tears and prayed for the intentions I had brought with me.' She described a sudden, sharp pain in her legs during immersion, as though 'they were taken away from me.' She did not disclose what had happened to anyone during her stay and returned home in a wheelchair. It was there, in her living room with her husband Antonio, that she again heard the same voice urging her, 'Tell him! Call him!' Obeying the voice, she called out to her husband, who had just stepped into the kitchen. 'Something has happened,' she told him. In that moment, she stood unaided for the first time in years. Overcome with emotion, the couple embraced, crying together as they realized she was cured. Though overjoyed, Raco was initially unsure of how to speak about her experience. She eventually confided in a parish priest in her diocese of Tursi-Lagonegro in Basilicata, who urged her to undergo medical evaluation. Soon after, the local archbishop who had accompanied the pilgrimage that year, Francesco Nolè, visited her and, after hearing her story, told her: 'Antonietta, the Lord has entered your home and given you a gift – but it is not for you alone. It is for all of us.' The road to recognition took more than a decade of thorough medical evaluation and expert review. 'There is no cure for ALS,' noted Professor Vincenzo Silani, a leading neurologist involved in the investigation. He was among those who confirmed both the diagnosis and the inexplicability of Raco's recovery. 'Patients are doomed to get a little worse every day.' Dr. Alessandro de Franciscis, the permanent doctor at the Lourdes Sanctuary, reminded the audience that the Church considers a healing miraculous only if it is sudden, complete, lasting, medically inexplicable, and not attributable to treatment or gradual recovery. These criteria, which continue to guide the Church's discernment today, were first established by Cardinal Prospero Lambertini, later Pope Benedict XIV. Debate within the International Medical Committee of Lourdes (CMIL) was initially inconclusive when the case was first presented in 2019. But a new international consensus on the diagnosis of ALS, published in 2020, provided the framework for reassessment. In 2023, Silani re-evaluated Raco in Milan and confirmed the definitive cure. Finally, in November 2024, a secret vote was held among 21 members of the International Medical Committee of Lourdes: 17 voted in favor of an unexplained, complete, and lasting cure — meeting the two-thirds majority required by Church criteria. Following the positive medical vote, the case was referred to the current bishop of Antonia Raco's home diocese, Vincenzo Carmine Orofino, who formally recognized the miracle on April 16 of this year.? Bishop Jean-Marc Micas of Tarbes and Lourdes, who participated in the scientific process without voting, praised the rigor and transparency of the medical discussions. 'What impressed me most,' he said, 'was the freedom of the experts. They are not there to defend a cause, but to seek the truth.' He also reminded the participants that miracles never impose faith. 'Even the Resurrection did not force anyone to believe,' he said. 'A miracle is a sign — a gift to be received in the light of faith.' Closing the press briefing, the rector of the sanctuary, Fr. Michel Daubanes, expressed deep emotion and gratitude as he recalled the honor of announcing the miracle during the 6 p.m. rosary on Holy Thursday, April 17, just minutes before it was proclaimed at the cathedral of Tursi-Lagonegro. ' We often say: 'If I saw a miracle, I would believe.' But the truth is: if I believe, I can see miracles,' he reflected. 'This healing is not just a story from the past. It is a living testimony that continues to bear fruit.' --CNA
Malaysian Reserve
07-07-2025
- Malaysian Reserve
Paralyzed Veterans of America Releases Statement Following Department of Veterans Affairs' Announcement Not to Pursue Large-Scale Reduction-in-Force
WASHINGTON, July 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Paralyzed Veterans of America Chief Executive Officer Carl Blake releases statement following the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announcement that it will no longer pursue a large-scale reduction-in-force as part of its efforts to reduce VA staffing, while also improving the delivery of health care, benefits, and burial services to veterans. 'The VA indicated today that its workforce would see a reduction of approximately 30,000 staff from its starting level at the beginning of FY2025 to the end of this fiscal year in September. PVA's highest priority remains the timely delivery of high-quality health care and earned benefits for veterans with spinal cord injuries or diseases, like ALS and MS. Our concerns are not simply about numbers on an org chart but rather the quality of life, independence, and well-being of our nation's veterans. 'We look forward to continuing to work with VA Secretary Collins and his team on their commitment to deliver the best outcomes for all veterans and ensure the availability of resources needed to fill any gaps. As PVA shared with Secretary Collins earlier this year, there are opportunities for meaningful realignment of resources within VA, even if that means reduction in areas that do not improve upon mission delivery for VA.' About Paralyzed Veterans of AmericaParalyzed Veterans of America is a 501(c)(3) non-profit and the only congressionally chartered veterans service organization dedicated solely for the benefit and representation of veterans with spinal cord injury or diseases. The organization ensures veterans receive the benefits earned through service to our nation; monitors their care in VA spinal cord injury units; and funds research and education in the search for a cure and improved care for individuals with a life-long partner and advocate for veterans and all people with disabilities, PVA also develops training and career services, works to ensure accessibility in public buildings and spaces, and provides health and rehabilitation opportunities through sports and recreation. With more than 70 offices and 33 chapters, Paralyzed Veterans of America serves veterans, their families, and their caregivers in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. Learn more at Contact: Oname Thompson 703-864-5980 cellOnameT@
