Danny Davis: “First of all, I thank Dr. Burgess for his tremendous advocacy on this and other legislative initiatives designed to…”

“First of all, I thank Dr. Burgess for his tremendous advocacy on this and other legislative initiatives designed to improve the quality of health and healthcare in America. Mr. Speaker, the consequences and complications of sickle cell disease are extreme. According to the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America, they have studied and reported that common complications with this disease include early childhood death from infection; stroke in young children and adults; lung problems similar to pneumonia; chronic damage to organs, including the kidney, leading to kidney failure, and to the lungs, causing pulmonary hypertension; and severe painful episodes. In fact, pain episodes are a hallmark of sickle cell disease. More than 2.5 million Americans have the sickle cell trait. The sickle cell trait is found in 1 in 12 African Americans. There is a one in four chance that a child born to parents who both have the sickle cell trait will develop the sickle cell disease. The average lifespan for an adult with sickle cell disease is 45 years. The sickle cell disease affects an estimated 100,000 Americans, primarily African Americans, Hispanics, and other ethnic groups. Mr. Speaker, I would also note that the devastation of this disease on those who are affected by it is, indeed, tremendous.…”