[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 5]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 6980]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        HONORING MISS ABBY KEENE

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. WALTER B. JONES

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 10, 2011

  Mr. JONES. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Miss Abby Keene.
  She is freshman at Southern Wayne High School in Dudley, NC. Abby is 
currently an active member of the Southern Wayne High School FFA and is 
currently working with training a goat for the goat exhibition and 
show. She is preparing for a land judging contest in which she will be 
a judge. Prior to her diagnosis she was a cheerleader, softball player 
and dancer.
  In the fall of 2009 after a routine exam by their family doctor, Abby 
was found to have an enlarged spleen. Further test revealed that she 
suffers from a rare liver disease named Primary Sclerosing Cholangitit 
(PSC). PSC is a liver disease of the bile ducts and is very rare in 
children and even more rare to be diagnosed in a female. The only known 
treatment is a transplant and she is currently on a waiting list for a 
transplant at Children's Hospital in Pittsburgh, PA.
  Abby's mother Deon has teamed up with COTA (Children's Organ 
Transplant Association) along with friends, neighbors, local churches, 
fire department/rescue units, Grantham Grange, Southern Wayne High 
School FFA, and other local civic groups to raise $50,000 for Abby to 
receive a transplant. On May 14, 2011, Eureka Christian Church is 
hosting a BBQ lunch and dinner, followed by an auction of donated 
items. Abby is hoping to return to her active roles upon completion of 
her liver transplant.
  Mr. Speaker, today, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Miss 
Abby Keene and wish her the best in her upcoming future.

                          ____________________