[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 11]
[House]
[Page 15117]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         SICKLE CELL AWARENESS

  (Ms. ADAMS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Ms. ADAMS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to discuss a topic very near and 
dear to my heart: sickle cell anemia.
  Sickle cell disease is an inherited blood disorder that affects red 
blood cells and rapidly destroys sickle cells in the body. During an 
attack, victims can experience acute chest pain, stroke, and damage to 
vital organs like the kidneys and liver.
  This disease is personal to me because, growing up, I watched my 
sister suffer from it. She was always in and out of the hospital. 
Oftentimes, the only resources we had to treat her were our family's 
love and support. This was devastating. My sister lost her battle at 
age 26.
  But this doesn't have to be the story of others. While medical 
treatment and research for sickle cell anemia has evolved, it is 
imperative to support Federal funding for additional research and 
treatment opportunities.
  I am a proud cosponsor of H.R. 2410, the Sickle Cell Disease 
Research, Surveillance, Prevention, and Treatment Act.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask all of my colleagues to join me in recognizing 
Sickle Cell Awareness Day by not only supporting community efforts to 
treat patients with this disease, but by cosponsoring legislation that 
provides Federal resources to advance medical treatments for this 
disease.

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