Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States.  Raising awareness about this disease will save lives.  That is why I cosponsored a bill several years ago to establish November as COPD Awareness Month.  In July of this year, the House passed a bill to support the goals and ideals of COPD Awareness Month

Along with raising public awareness, we need to also increase funding for COPD research.  As a member of the House Appropriation's Committee, I am a supporter of increased funding for medical research through the National Institutes of Health so that we can find treatments, and hopefully one day a cure, for diseases like COPD.  In the past five years, Congress has worked on doubling the budget of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).  This is quite an achievement and a significant step toward providing cutting edge treatments for victims of all diseases. 

I can only imagine how difficult it must be to struggle for each breath.  The more the public knows about COPD, the more that can be done to prevent and treat it.