María Elvira Salazar: “I rise today to submit a bipartisan resolution deeming May 2005 as ``National Cystic Fibrosis Month.'' I wish more than…”

“I rise today to submit a bipartisan resolution deeming May 2005 as ``National Cystic Fibrosis Month.'' I wish more than anything that this resolution were not necessary, and that we had already cured this terrible disease. But CF continues to haunt thousands of families, and with this resolution, the Senate is saying to those families that we hear your suffering and we are going to do all we can to ensure we help stop it. I have seen many advances in medicine since my childhood on the ranch in Conejos County, CO. These advances have opened up opportunities for people living with disabilities and debilitating disease. People are living longer and healthier lives, even as they face debilitating diseases. One such disease is Cystic Fibrosis, a genetic disease that leads to life-threatening lung infections. Through advances in medication and other treatments, people with CF are living longer lives. In the 1950s, people with CF rarely lived to school age. Today, life expectancy for people with CF has reached into the thirties. That is an improvement-- and as a result people with CF get many more years to spend with their families and to follow their dreams--but it is not good enough. This resolution supports the CF Foundation's goal of increased screening of newborns for CF. The earlier the disease is detected, the more likely that treatments can extend life.…”