[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 150 (Tuesday, November 19, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Page S11555]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              SPINA BIFIDA

  Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, I am pleased today to pay tribute to the 
more than 70,000 Americans and their family members who are currently 
affected by Spina Bifida, the Nation's most common permanently 
disabling birth defect. I also want to compliment the Spina Bifida 
Association of America, an organization that was founded in 1973 to 
address the needs of the individuals and families affected by Spina 
Bifida and which is currently the only national organization dedicated 
solely to advocating on behalf of the Spina Bifida community.
  Spina Bifida is a neural tube defect that occurs when the central 
nervous system does not properly close during the early stages of 
pregnancy. Spina Bifida affects more than 4,000 pregnancies each year, 
but with proper medical care, people who suffer from Spina Bifida can 
lead full and productive lives. Today, approximately 90 percent of all 
babies diagnosed with this birth defect live into adulthood, 
approximately 80 percent have normal IQs, and approximately 75 percent 
participate in sports and other recreational activities. However, they 
must learn how to move using braces, crutches or wheelchairs, and how 
to function independently. The challenge now is to ensure that these 
individuals have the highest quality of life possible and to prevent 
future cases of Spina Bifida.
  Congress has done much to deal with the challenges posed by Spina 
Bifida including providing funding to establish a National Spina Bifida 
Program at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. I was 
pleased the Senate recently adopted the ``Birth Defects and 
Developmental Disabilities Prevention Act of 2002,'' which takes 
important steps to improve the quality of life for individuals and 
families affected by Spina Bifida.
  I also want to thank the Spina Bifida Association of Mississippi for 
all it has done for the families in our State who are affected by this 
condition. Specifically, I commend Susan Branson, the president of the 
Spina Bifida Association of Mississippi, for her dedication and 
commitment to helping families like her own who each day face the joys 
and challenges of having a child with Spina Bifida. In October, which 
was designated as National Spinal Bifida Awareness Month, Susan and her 
husband, Alan, and their 4-year-old daughter, Abigail, visited 
Washington and met with me. The Bransons live in Jackson, Mississippi, 
and in addition to Abigail they have four other children. We talked 
about their family's experience with having a child with Spina Bifida. 
When Abigail was born they were told that she would never be able to 
walk. Today, due to her and her parents' vigilance, advocacy, and 
commitment, Abigail can now walk with the aid of braces and a walker.
  The Spina Bifida community and our nation have made great progress 
over the past three decades. Much work still needs to be done, but I am 
confident this organization and its chapters are up to the challenge.

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