Cardiovascular Advances in Research and Opportunities Legacy Act
Floor Speech
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Mr. SCALISE. Madam Speaker, I rise with a heavy heart but in strong support of this legislation, the CAROL Act.
Clearly, if you look at the policy, we are here today to expand research on valvular heart disease to help save more lives, but we are also here to pay tribute to Carol Barr and talk about a special person that we were blessed to know.
Carol was one of those people who would light up a room. I was blessed to be in many of those rooms with Andy and Carol and their two beautiful daughters. Then, we got the news. It was news that you don't wish upon anybody, but to watch how Andy has carried on a legacy since then, obviously caring for Carol's legacy, caring for those two beautiful young daughters, but then turning it into something bigger with the CAROL Act.
This legislation is going to help some of those 25,000 Americans who lose their lives every year to valvular heart disease, many of them young women like Carol.
Hopefully, we can prevent others from having to go through what Andy went through and what all of us went through because, while we battle on the day-to-day issues, we care about each other. We are family in many ways. We spend a lot of time here together. We get to know each other personally.
I got to know Andy. I was in charge of recruiting in 2012, and he was the first recruit that I called. We hit it off from day one and just developed an incredible friendship. With friendships like that, you get to know the families of the people that we serve with. Every time you were in a room with Andy and Carol and their family, it was just a special, special time.
I know so many of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle who are expressing those same passions. At least we get to channel this into something positive that can help other people.
Andy, your strength in her death serves as a constant tribute to Carol's life. Carol used to have a saying. She would say, ``Just get it done.'' Today, we are going to get something special done in honor of an incredibly special person.
I am sure they have C-SPAN in Heaven, and I know Carol is watching right now, as she is so proud of the strength you have exhibited. But today, she knows that her name is also going to be attached to something that is going to save lives for years to come.
God bless Andy, his beautiful daughters, and Carol.
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