[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 10]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 14620-14621]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




    OBSERVING SEPTEMBER AS CHILDREN'S CARDIOMYOPATHY AWARENESS MONTH

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. CHELLIE PINGREE

                                of maine

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, September 18, 2015

  Ms. PINGREE. Mr. Speaker, when my constituent Matthew Nehaus was 9, 
he suddenly lost weight, became too tired to participate in sports, and 
was frequently overcome by coughing bouts. Concerned, his parents took 
him to the doctor, who initially thought the cause was an infection or 
pneumonia. But an X-ray led to a much scarier diagnosis--
cardiomyopathy.
  Cardiomyopathy is a degenerative disease of the heart muscle that 
weakens its ability to efficiently and effectively pump blood around 
the body. Though more common for adults, it is a leading cause of 
sudden cardiac arrest and heart transplants in children.
  This September is the second annual Children's Cardiomyopathy 
Awareness Month, an opportunity to educate people about the condition, 
its signs and risk factors, as well as advocate for policies that help 
address it.
  One of those policies, which I'm proud to support, is H.R. 829, the 
SAFE PLAY Act. Introduced by Representatives Lois Capps and Bill 
Pascrell, the bill would take a number of needed steps to protect the 
safety of student athletes, including developing emergency response 
plans at schools, communicating the risks of overexertion in hot 
weather, and teaching students to conduct CPR and use defibrillators. 
Another important measure of this bill is identifying students with 
cardiomyopathy to help them get treatment and reduce their risks.
  Luckily, Matthew Nehaus and his family found out about his condition 
in time to stabilize his health and, after years on the donation list, 
he received a heart transplant. I'm so grateful that Matthew has the 
opportunity to

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pursue a bright future and dearly hope that other children facing 
cardiomyopathy get the same chance. Please join me in spreading 
awareness about this condition and supporting policies that can lead to 
early detection and better health outcomes for these kids.
  

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