My dad called me this morning to relay this information. My home pastor, Bro. Carson, was watching the news last night when a segment aired about the 21st Century Cures Act. Congressman Brett Guthrie of Kentucky has been instrumental in helping this law through the House of Representatives. It passed in the House yesterday, overwhelmingly, and is likely to be approved by the Senate. Now granted, many of you know probably way more about this bill than I do. I don’t keep up with what’s going through Congress. I have done a little bit of reading this morning about it. All bills or laws have hundreds of sub-points. This one covers many things about medical care, research, etc. What he heard was that “The 21st Century Cures Act also makes it easier for new treatments and drugs to reach people faster.” He called my dad and told him about the newscast. This morning my dad called Brett Guthrie’s Kentucky office to get some more information. He talked with a young woman, an aide for Rep. Guthrie, and she was very interested in our story, both personally and officially. She said she would talk to the Washington DC liaison for Rep. Guthrie’s office and that she might call my dad today. According to her, they are interested in just these kinds of cases. She even mentioned they may get the contact info for the doctors involved in the research and Joyanna’s care here. I know the passing of a law cannot change things overnight but it seems a step in a good direction. Here’s the link to the WBKO news story aired last night: Guthrie Supports 21st Century Cures Act. Representative Guthrie would surely be a supportive ally in the FDA’s accelerated approval.
We haven’t done anything to lobby. We haven’t made any calls. We didn’t even know this law was about to be voted on but we believe God is working. We trust Him to work on our behalf. One of the men at the college asked my husband the other day about the status of the FDA approval. He answered, ”We don’t really know where it is in the process. We didn’t even know until July that the pharmaceutical company has been working on the enzyme during the past few years; it is obvious God was working in the background even when we don’t know about it. For all I know the drug could be up for approval today.” Please pray with us that the bill about to be voted into law will make a difference in the speed of approval. Please pray that the clinical trial at Nationwide can provide enough beneficial evidence to persuade the FDA to approve it.
I know so many people are praying and I wanted to share this news with you so you can know along with us how God is working. A lady at my church asked me about the details of this possibility for Joyanna on Sunday morning. She had heard about it through the grapevine. I explained the enzyme replacement and ended my explanation with a statement about the FDA approval being mostly about red tape. Her reply was priceless: “He divided the Red Sea. He can cut the red tape!” AMEN!