Political Quotes

“I have come to the floor today to shed some light on the impacts of postpartum depression among our Nation's mothers. Just a bit over a month ago, I sat down with a local Anchorage reporter as part of a series addressing the impacts of postpartum depression, PPD. As part of a four-part series, seven brave, strong, passionate women from the Anchorage community came forward and shared their stories. I joined those women in sharing my own account of the difficulties I faced as I transitioned into my new role as a mother. I have been inspired by these women and other advocates that fight so hard to help raise awareness of PPD, and I wanted to share the story of one woman who lost her daughter to PPD. I met this woman shortly after I filmed my interview. She works in Anchorage and Wasilla, AK, as a child and adolescent psychiatrist and has always been passionate about providing care and support to children and adolescents in an effort to reduce and prevent suicide. She began to advocate for PPD after her daughter, Brittany, suffered and ultimately lost her life to PPD. She was only 25 years old. Brittany was a bright, passionate, and lively young woman. She was born in Fairfax, VA in 1989. She excelled in school and graduated with an international baccalaureate degree at age 16 from Mount Vernon High School. Brittany loved animals and dreamt of becoming a sports veterinarian 1 day.…”