[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 30 (Monday, February 25, 2008)]
[House]
[Page H1020]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
GLANZMANN'S RESOLUTION
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the
gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Broun) is recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. BROUN of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I rise today to present a
resolution promoting awareness of Glanzmann's Thrombasthenia, a little
known, yet debilitating disorder that affects numerous Americans every
day.
Glanzmann's Thrombasthenia is a genetic blood disorder that is
inherited, putting children and young adults at risk. Leading
physicians report that Glanzmann's Thrombasthenia presents many
symptoms that are often mistaken for other bleeding disorders. This,
along with the lack of information on the disorder itself, has caused
Glanzmann's to be frequently misdiagnosed. People with Glanzmann's are
missing a protein on the surface of the platelet that is vital to the
clotting process. People suffering from this disorder have serious
problems with uncontrollable bleeding and severe, painful bruising.
Their activities can be strictly limited and their lives can be at
stake without any warning. Currently there is no cure for this
disorder, but research is very promising. The leading researchers in
this field firmly believe a cure for Glanzmann's Thrombasthenia can be
found through current ongoing research. With proper funding,
Glanzmann's could be controllable in the foreseeable future, and some
suggest as soon as 10 years from now.
A young constituent of mine who lives in Augusta, Georgia, suffers
from Glanzmann's Thrombasthenia. Julia Smith is only 9 years old and
every day lives and deals with the realities of her disorder. When
Julia was born, she was covered in bruises, but blood tests came back
normal. Doctors assured her parents that the bruising was just the
result of a difficult delivery. When Julia was 6 weeks old, she got a
tiny scratch on her cheek; this small scratch bled enough to cover her
entire face in blood and saturate her sheets. After this incident,
Julia's mother, Helen, took her to the Medical College of Georgia in
Augusta and asked that tests be run to find out what was wrong with her
daughter. After countless tests and consultations, the Medical College
of Georgia's Children's Medical Center physicians diagnosed Julia with
Glanzmann's Thrombasthenia.
Frantic for information that could save her daughter, Mrs. Smith
attempted to research the disorder, and was frustrated and disheartened
by the lack of available information. She began to put her name and
information on internet registries for individuals suffering from other
disorders, hoping that someone who had similar symptoms would make
contact with her. She found numerous cases of people equally
distraught, seeking information for themselves or their loved one who
was dealing with the same misdiagnosed disorder. This realization,
along with a small contribution from the grandmother of a Glanzmann's
sufferer who wanted to donate money to help others, compelled Mrs.
Smith to begin the Glanzmann's Research Foundation in 2001. This non-
profit foundation is the focal point for information to others in need
and the sole source for funding the ongoing research efforts that will
lead to a cure. Mrs. Smith is truly a mother on a mission.
Augusta, Georgia, holds a special place in my heart. I graduated from
the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta in 1971, and I am proud to
have begun my medical career there. I am delighted to represent a city
that contains, not only the Glanzmann's Research Foundation, which is
quite significant in its own right, but also the preeminent public
medical college in the southeast, the Medical College of Georgia.
To promote awareness for Glanzmann's Thrombasthenia, March 1 has been
recommended as the day to establish a National Glanzmann's
Thrombasthenia Awareness Day. This date was chosen to coincide with the
Glanzmann's Research Foundation's annual fundraiser.
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