[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 13]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 18865]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



    IN RECOGNITION OF THE PLEASANTON LIONS CLUB'S CAMPAIGN TO RAISE 
                      AWARENESS ABOUT SCLERODERMA

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. ELLEN O. TAUSCHER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 29, 1999

  Mrs. TAUSCHER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to bring to the attention of 
my colleagues a disease known as scleroderma that an estimated 500,000 
Americans currently suffer from. Even though more people have this 
disease than have Muscular Dystrophy, Multiple Sclerosis or Cystic 
Fibrosis, Scleroderma, unfortunately, is not that well known by the 
public.
  Scleroderma literally means ``hard skin'' and is a chronic disorder 
that leads to the overproduction of collagen in the body's connective 
tissue. It can also effect internal organs, causing severe damage and 
serious complications to the body's digestive, circulatory and immune 
system. Scleroderma is not contagious or directly hereditary nor is it 
gender, race or age specific. However, 80% of its victims are women, 
most in the prime of their lives. Unfortunately, there is no known 
cause or cure for scleroderma.
  I would like to commend the Pleasanton Lions Club within the 10th 
Congressional District for taking it upon themselves to raise awareness 
about Scleroderma. Thanks to a request being made by the Pleasanton 
Lions Club, the Pleasanton City Council on May 18 of this year 
proclaimed the month of June as ``Scleroderma Awareness Month.'' Also 
in conjunction with downtown events in Plesanton, the Pleasanton Lions 
Club sponsors a booth offering information about the disease that also 
involves members from the Scleroderma Support Group in the Bay Area who 
share their stories with the public.
  The Pleasanton Lions Club has also established informational displays 
along with literature at the Pleasanton Library, the Lion's Club 
visitor/ticket office, the Valleycare Library, Valleycare Mental 
Center, the Pleasanton Senior Center and the Livermore Veterans 
Hospital.
  On June 11, the Pleasanton Lions Club sponsored their 11th annual 
golf tournamaent and dinner to help raise money for scleroderma 
research. I have been told that the tournament and the subsequent 
dinner were a roaring success.
  It is important that scleroderma be given the attention required to 
raise awareness and the funds needed to fight this chronic disease. The 
Pleasanton Lions Club have played a major role in this effort and I 
thank them for it. I hope others will follow their lead and get the 
word out to the public about why we need to fight scleroderma.

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