Sickle Cell Awareness Month

Floor Speech

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Mr. FIGURES. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge that September is Sickle Cell Awareness Month. It is a time to recognize the challenges faced by those living with this debilitating genetic disease.

This disease is one that disproportionately affects Black people who make up 90 percent of those diagnosed with this terrible condition. One person is a young man that I had the opportunity to meet down in Mobile, Alabama, my hometown. He is a 5-year-old gentleman named Dakota Williams. He a student at Council Traditional School of which I am a proud alum myself.

The only known cure for sickle cell is a bone marrow or stem cell transplant. It is risky, and it is often inaccessible, especially in certain communities. That is why urgent investment in research, treatment, and equitable care is critical.

That is why we need to pass the Sickle Cell Disease Comprehensive Care Act, introduced by my Republican colleague out of Florida, Representative Neal Dunn. I am a proud cosponsor, and I thank him for his leadership on this issue.

We need this so we can better understand and improve how we track and understand care for patients like Dakota and so we can better identify where resources and support are most needed.

Mr. Speaker, this month and every month, we must stand with those living with sickle cell disease and fight for a future where they have hope and health.

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