Mr. Speaker, I am happy to stand in the House and recognize May as Hemochromatosis Awareness Month.
For those who do not know, hemochromatosis causes the body to absorb too much iron from foods eaten. This excess iron is then stored in people's organs, which can lead to life-threatening conditions, such as liver disease, heart problems, and diabetes. An estimated one in 300 Canadians are affected with this disorder, meaning that approximately 80,000 Canadians have type 1 hemochromatosis.
The Canadian Hemochromatosis Society is a small but energetic charity, with very limited resources, that punches well above its weight in raising awareness about this important disorder. However, it needs all of our help in raising awareness.
I encourage all my colleagues to let their constituents know about hemochromatosis and its warning signs by sharing the link www.toomuchiron.ca on their Facebook page and to attend a reception hosted by the CHS tonight from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
We could make a huge difference in someone's life.