Sickle Cell Disease Awareness Month
Floor Speech
Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Con. Res. 186, Supporting the Goals and Ideals of Sickle Cell Disease Awareness Month. Mr. Speaker, the State of Georgia has over 7,000 individuals, from diverse backgrounds, many of whom are my constituents living in DeKalb County, living with sickle cell anemia. I have tirelessly advocated on their behalf to support the Georgia Comprehensive sickle cell center, which is located at nearby Grady Hospital. While sickle cell anemia is found in more diagnosed at a higher rate among African Americans and Latinos, it has also found among people of Greek, Turkish, and Saudi Arabian descent. I strongly support H. Con. Res. 186 and I urge my colleagues to support this important resolution.
Sickle cell anemia is a major health problem that affects millions of people worldwide. More than 70,000 people in the United States have inherited sickle cell anemia, while more than 2 million carry the sickle cell trait, including 1 in 12 African-Americans. There is a 25 percent chance that parents carrying the Sickle Cell trait will pass the disease onto a child. This chronic disease deserves our attention and I applaud the efforts of this Congress to ensure that mire is done.
While there is no widely available cure, the goal of sickle cell disease management is to alleviate the painful symptoms associated with the disease, including gallstones, strokes, tissue, liver, and spleen damage. There has been a glimmer of hope for a small number of those infected; bone marrow transplants have proven to be a successful treatment for the disease. Over the past 30 years, advances in advocacy and awareness, and improvements in medicine have led to increases in early diagnoses, improved disease management, and longer life spans for individuals diagnosed with sickle cell anemia.
It is my hope that in the near future, we can develop a cure for this chronic illness, and ensure that people living with Sickle Cell Anemia live full, productive lives.
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