Our son Matthew is six years old. He has a deadly form of Muscular Dystrophy called Duchenne. Right now, Matthew is like any other six year old: he enjoys playing sports and is very competitive. Soon, however, his body will defy his amazing spirit. His muscles will grow weaker and Matthew will need a wheelchair. Eventually, our son will be completely immobilized and face premature death. It's a terrifying future for our family to contemplate. But there could be hope if Matthew gains access to promising experimental treatments not yet approved by the FDA.

 So far, Matthew has been denied access to these treatments, and, sadly, he is not alone. Whether it's the thousands of boys in the U.S. diagnosed with Duchenne each year, or the hundreds of thousands of Americans who receive a terminal diagnosis of another kind, many are left without hope because they are denied access to experimental drugs. I would do anything to save my son, and I believe that Matthew and all other terminally ill patients like him deserve the right to try to save their own lives.

This petition is an attempt to get a "Right To Try" law passed in my home state of Pennsylvania, which will allow Matthew and other terminally ill patients to access promising new medications that have not yet received full FDA approval. There are currently only 28 states with "Right To Try" laws and I want Pennsylvania to be added to that list.

Under the FDA's current system, only 3% of terminally ill patients are accepted into clinical trials each year. "Right To Try" laws open the doors to tens of thousands of terminally ill patients that have been closed for too many people, for far too long. For terminally ill patients like Matthew, that could mean the difference between life and death.

I want to see my son continue to run, jump, and grow up achieving his dreams. I want people of all ages with ALS, cancer, Muscular Dystrophy, and other terminal diseases to have hope. Please sign our petition to tell the Pennsylvania legislature and governor to pass and sign House Bill 1104, the"Right To Try" Act into law. Thank you for your support.