Andy Barr: “I thank my colleagues for their support of this legislation. I rise today in support of an issue obviously that is very…”

“I thank my colleagues for their support of this legislation. I rise today in support of an issue obviously that is very near and dear to my heart, our legislation, the Cardiovascular Advances in Research and Opportunities Legacy Act, or the CAROL Act, named after my late wife, Carol Leavell Barr. Mr. Speaker, my life changed forever, and the lives of my daughters and Carol's family and friends' lives changed forever, when we lost her, my best friend, to sudden cardiac arrest on June 16, 2020. She was only 39 years old. At a young age, Carol was diagnosed with an underlying condition called mitral valve prolapse, or floppy valve syndrome, a typically benign condition that results in sudden cardiac death in only 0.2 percent of cases. We were told that this was no big deal, so there was no cause for alarm for most of her adult life. We knew about her condition, but it was not cause for alarm. Even her doctors were not alarmed by the condition because of the very low incidence of sudden cardiac death with this. The end of her life didn't define her life. I want to just share a little bit. I mean, obviously, this is a picture of her. She was beautiful, inside and out. She had an amazing smile. She was smart. She was fun. She was accomplished professionally. Ironically, she was in pharmaceutical sales, and she was in the cardiovascular space.…”