Autoimmune Disease Awareness Act H.R. 6218

Mr. Ryan Hart, District Director for Congresswoman Jamie Herrera Beutler, and me. 

Yesterday was exciting.

I was able to meet with my US Representative's District Director. The appointment was set up by the AARDA (American Autoimmune Related Disease Association) and the discussion of our visit was the pending bill 6218 before the U.S. House of Representatives.

You can read more about this important bill here and here, which would create an interdepartmental autoimmune disease coordinating computer, address national progress on autoimmune disease research, and make recommendations to be used to develop a national curriculum on autoimmune diseases.

Needless to say, we NEED this bill passed.

Mr. Hart and I spent 30 minutes; during which he demonstrated that my representative was clearly in favor of this bill, and that he had a good understanding of what this bill would create. He shared some personal experiences regarding autoimmune disease within his family, and so was very attuned to the needs of our population.

It was a very enjoyable meeting, especially since I was accompanied by Terese and my sister-in-law Mary, who both were able to join the conversation to share their perspectives as friends and family members as well.

I left with a source of continuing contact regarding this legislation in hand and feeling optimistic that this bill has a good chance of passing. I'll be watching closely on it's progress.

In the meantime, I'm off for a nap. Whew. Speaking coherently is hard work.