E-Newsletter

This past week was truly inspirational as a couple of brave survivors visited my office in Washington, D.C.  On Wednesday, Representatives Mike McCaul (R-TX) and Mike Kelly (R-PA) came to my office to discuss their legislation, The Creating Hope Act (CHA).  Accompanying the Representatives was a vibrant, bubbly young girl named Brianna Commerford.  At just nine years old, Brianna was diagnosed with stage IV Hodgkin's lymphoma, a cancer in the lymph nodes.  After about a year of chemotherapy, eight surgeries, and a deeply committed spirit, she beat this horrible cancer and has now been in remission for more than three years.  A true symbol of hope, Brianna was named the 2010/2011 National Youth Ambassador for Hyundai’s Hope on Wheels.  Hope on Wheels is a non-profit that was created by Hyundai to bring hope to children affected by childhood cancer, to support the hospitals and medical professionals working to care for them, and to fund the research that brings us closer to better treatments and, ultimately, a cure. 

I’m proud to announce that I’ve signed on to Rep. McCaul and Rep. Kelly’s legislation, which complements the efforts being made by Hope on Wheels.  The Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) review process is often very lengthy.  If, however, a drug company develops a new treatment for particular diseases, like blinding trachoma or new forms of tuberculosis, they qualify for the FDA’s priority review voucher program.  The CHA, a bipartisan bill, would expand the FDA’s priority review voucher program to allow pharmaceutical companies to expedite FDA review of more profitable drugs in return for developing treatments for rare pediatric diseases.

For one Salem sixth-grader, AJ Leffler, this legislation could have been just what he needed in his ongoing battle with cancer.  Last month, AJ had a brain tumor removed from the top of his spinal column, and now he’s preparing to undergo at least 18 weeks of radiation and chemotherapy.  As my daughter wears her ‘AJ’s Army’ shirt in solidarity with AJ, and as Brianna continues to share her stories with folks all across the county, I’m proud to support this bill.  I hope that we can expedite the development of these drugs, and save as many young people as possible from these terrible pediatric diseases.

To learn more about Hope on Wheels and AJ’s Army, please visit: www.hyundaihopeonwheels.org and https://www.facebook.com/AJsArmy

For the next thirty years, Martin put this awful incident behind him.  However, Martin sprang to action when he learned that his attacker would soon walk free because of a lack of funding for my 1999 law, the Civil Commitment for Sexually Violent Predators Act.  In 2003, Martin and I worked closely to secure funds for this law, which to this day allows for the civil commitment of the sex offenders most likely to re-offend after they've completed their prison sentences.

I’m proud to have worked to secure this funding back in 2003.  Now, I look forward to working with Martin to see what we can do at the federal level to improve the civil commitment process.  While this horrendous incident is a true testimony to the strength of the human spirit, I hope and pray that there is more that I can do to ensure than no child ever has to go through what Martin Andrews did.  The stories of Brianna Commerford and Martin Andrews are a true testament to the fortitude, resilience, and courage of the American people.

**CORRECTION** – In an attempt to draw a visual connection for our readers in last week’s column, we unintentionally mixed two ideas - population size versus number of households.  For our purposes, Tazewell County is a more appropriate comparison than Giles County.  We apologize for the error, and appreciate the Roanoke Times’ Round Table blog for bringing this to our attention.

As always, if you have questions, concerns, or comments, feel free to contact my offices.  You can call my Abingdon office at 276-525-1405 or my Christiansburg office at 540-381-5671.  To reach my office via email, please visit my website at www.morgangriffith.house.gov.

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