[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 72 (Thursday, April 27, 2017)]
[House]
[Page H2906]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1045
                     NATIONAL MINORITY HEALTH MONTH

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Illinois (Mr. Danny K. Davis) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, April is National 
Minority Health Month, and I have pledged to use every opportunity that 
I can to promote awareness, greater understanding, and direction toward 
solutions to some of our health needs and problems.
  I have with me today a statement from one of the staff members in my 
district office who describes what it is like to live with sarcoidosis.
  She begins her statement by saying:

       Hello. My name is Shonna Latrice Smith, and I have 
     sarcoidosis. Living with sarcoidosis has been a tough battle 
     for me, not knowing what other parts of my organs could be 
     affected by this terrible disease.
       I began having symptoms of experiencing hoarseness for 
     months at a time, swollen lymph nodes, loss of weight, loss 
     of breath, severe joint pain with deformity in my fingers. My 
     face and arms showed noticeable skin lesions with severe 
     swelling. I experience most mornings chronic dry coughs that 
     feel like my chest would burst open.
       After a series of blood tests, X-rays, pulmonary testing, 
     and skin biopsies, test results indicated sarcoidosis, I 
     began to have anxiety attacks. Because I had no clue where, 
     when, and how I contacted this disease, I didn't know if it 
     would affect the longevity of my life. I began with small 
     doses of prednisone orally to treat inflammation and 
     swelling, including steroid injections to my face, arms, and 
     fingers to reduce swelling.
       My battle with sarcoidosis has affected my getting up, 
     walking with struggling not to lose my balance due to my 
     joints being stiff and sore. Doctors begin treating me for 
     rheumatoid arthritis with a medication called methotrexate, a 
     chemotherapy agent and immune system suppressant to treat 
     autoimmune diseases and rheumatoid arthritis.
       After taking methotrexate for about a year, doctors saw no 
     change in the swelling of my hands and face, so I began 
     taking a new medication called Plaquenil also used to treat 
     rheumatoid arthritis, skin diseases, and autoimmune diseases. 
     I am currently taking prednisone to continue to treat severe 
     swelling for my face and hands.

  Mr. Speaker, I thank Ms. Smith for sharing this information and this 
experience with us. Therefore, I urge that we continue to support 
research so that we may find more effective treatment and a cure for 
sarcoidosis and other disease entities.
  It is my position that health is wealth. We can have all of the other 
attributes of life, but if we have chronic disease that has not been 
cured or for which we are not sure of a cure for, then that takes away 
from the quality of life for the individuals with those experiences. 
Therefore, I reiterate that research could be the answer.

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