WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Madeleine Dean (PA-04) welcomes Peg Eitl, a tireless healthcare advocate, as her guest to President Trump’s Joint Address to Congress on March 4, 2025. Peg Eitl’s advocacy began when her oldest child, Joe, was born with Down Syndrome and a complex congenital heart defect. In 2020, Joe Eitl became the first person with Down Syndrome to receive a combined heart and liver transplant — a lifesaving surgery made possible by Medicare and his family’s unwavering commitment to his care.
A native of Upper Merion, Peg Eitl is a retired sales and marketing executive, mother of three, soon-to-be grandmother, and full-time healthcare advocate for Joe. Peg met her husband Craig in junior high school; the two later married after serving their country — Craig stationed with the U.S. Army in Germany and Peg serving in the U.S. Air Force Reserves.
In 1983, Peg and Craig welcomed their first-born, Joe. Despite facing grim predictions from doctors who said Joe might not survive his first year and even suggested institutionalizing him, Peg and Craig built a loving home for Joe. Their family grew with the birth of their son, Jason, and daughter, Lacey. Peg raised all three of her children with love and strength, steadfast in her belief that "Joe is not ‘special needs,’ he’s special — a gift to all who know him."
Throughout his life, Joe required several open-heart procedures. Then in 2019, he went into complete heart and liver failure. At 36-years-old, a transplant was Joe’s only hope.
Against all odds, and despite being told throughout Joe’s life that he would never qualify for a transplant, Peg retired from her career and the family embarked on a full-time quest for lifesaving care. After multiple rejections, relief came in 2020. At Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Joe became the first person with Down Syndrome to receive a combined heart and liver transplant.
Because of Medicare, Joe is now back to leading a fulfilling life, working part-time and participating in the Special Olympics.
“At a time when the Trump Administration and the Republican-led Senate and House look to slash $2.5 Trillion in Medicaid funding over ten years — it is our duty to protect the health of our most vulnerable including children, seniors, low-income families, and people with disabilities,” Rep. Dean said. “Medicare and Medicaid save lives — it saved Joe’s life. I’m incredibly moved by Joe’s miraculous story and by Peg’s unfailing devotion to her family. Their story is one of strength and hope, and I’m deeply grateful to have their blessing in sharing the Eitls’ life and welcoming Peg as my Presidential Address guest at the Capitol.”
"I am so honored to be Madeleine Dean's invited guest, particularly as so many of the things we depend on from our government are under threat right now. I believe every American has a fundamental right to healthcare and we are proof that Medicare and Medicaid save lives. Our legislators at all levels of the government have a responsibility to the people they serve and we are eternally grateful for all their efforts," Peg Eitl said.
Peg, Craig, and Joe live in Skippack. The family continues to volunteer with the Special Olympics and are looking forward to welcoming their first grandchild to Lacey and her husband, Caleb, in May. Peg’s story is one of love, resilience, and unwavering advocacy, demonstrating the incredible strength and dedication of a mother devoted to ensuring the best for her son and family.
Rep. Madeleine Dean is a mother, grandmother, attorney, professor, former four-term member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, and U.S. Representative for the Fourth District of Pennsylvania.
###
