[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 71 (Tuesday, June 4, 2002)]
[House]
[Page H3076]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          HUNTINGTON'S DISEASE

  (Mr. WILSON of South Carolina asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to draw 
attention to a disease which affects thousands of people in the United 
States. Approximately 30,000 people in the United States suffer from 
Huntington's Disease. Each child of a parent with Huntington's Disease 
has a 50 percent risk of inheriting the illness, meaning that there are 
more than 200,000 individuals who are at risk today.
  Huntington's Disease results from a genetically programmed 
degeneration of nerve cells in certain parts of the brain. While 
medication is available to help control symptoms of Huntington's 
Disease, there is no treatment to stop or reverse the course of the 
disease.
  I would like to commend Dr. Ruth Abramson of Columbia, South 
Carolina, for her leadership and dedication in the fight against 
Huntington's Disease.
  I encourage the American people to be aware of their own family 
histories, to be aware of the issues in genetic testing, and to 
advocate for families with Huntington's Disease in their communities, 
such as the Wayne and Ouida Dell family of Ridgeland, South Carolina. I 
also call on my colleagues in the House to join me in this effort to 
find a cure for those suffering from this disease.

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