[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 9]
[House]
[Page 12234]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           JUVENILE DIABETES

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the order of the House of 
January 23, 2002, the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) is 
recognized during morning hour debates for 5 minutes.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I would like to call the Chamber's 
attention to the serious issue of juvenile diabetes which is usually 
but not always diagnosed in children and remains with them for life. It 
has stricken over 16 million Americans, and it kills one American every 
3 minutes. By the time that my brief remarks are over, two children 
will be diagnosed with the disease, kids like my constituent Victor 
Suarez. Diagnosed at age 14, Victor has to administer daily shots of 
insulin to keep him from falling into a diabetic coma from which there 
may be no recovery. Victor's friends must keep constant watch of his 
condition. This is no way for Victor or any child to live, but 
unfortunately this scene is repeated millions of times every day across 
our country.
  Mr. Speaker, let us work toward finding more funding for research to 
ensure that Victor and other children will not be forced to suffer with 
juvenile diabetes. I congratulate the South Florida chapter of the 
Juvenile Diabetes Foundation International as well as its president, 
Sheldon Anderson, for their sincere commitment to finding a cure for 
diabetes and its serious complications. Founded in 1991 by a group of 
dedicated individuals, this south Florida chapter has already 
contributed over $8 million to diabetes research. Mr. Speaker, I join 
274 Members of Congress and 67 Senators who recently signed a letter 
requesting support for increased juvenile diabetes research funding.
  I believe, as do my colleagues, that a cure for juvenile diabetes is 
just around the bend and that by working together, we can make it a 
reality.

                          ____________________