[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 61 (Monday, April 10, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E299]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





                  RECOGNIZING MS. MARIA ELENA GRIJALVA

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. DAVID G. VALADAO

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, April 10, 2023

  Mr. VALADAO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Maria Elena 
Grijalva as she receives the Celeste Castillo Lee Patient Engagement 
Award from the National Kidney Foundation. Maria's advocacy began 36 
years ago, when her own kidneys began to fail, and she found herself in 
need of a donor. Her brother, John Arriola, volunteered to become a 
donor without hesitation. While the average life expectancy for someone 
living with a kidney transplant is between 12 and 20 years, Maria has 
been going strong with her transplant for 36 years--a testament to 
Maria's resiliency that she has displayed throughout all aspects of her 
life. The National Kidney Foundation (NKF) is the largest organization 
dedicated to the awareness, prevention, and treatment of kidney disease 
in the United States. Each year, the NKF considers the efforts of 
advocates like Maria, and patients who work on behalf of others, 
recognizing the one advocate who best exemplifies the work of longtime 
advocate Celeste Castillo Lee. This year, Maria was selected as the 
recipient of the Celeste Castillo Lee Patient Engagement Award for her 
decades of dedication and commitment to advocating for patient-centered 
care and empowerment. Today, Maria and John work together to help 
others facing the same situation they faced over 30 years ago. Maria 
also devotes many of her efforts to educating Native Americans and 
farmworkers in the agricultural communities in California to raise 
awareness among high-risk populations about kidney health, disease, and 
prevention measures. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues in the United 
States House of Representatives to join me in honoring Maria Elena 
Grijalva as she receives the Celeste Castillo Lee Patient Engagement 
Award from the National Kidney Foundation.

                          ____________________