[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.

                          ____________________