Mr. Speaker, this Saturday marks the beginning of Scleroderma Awareness Month and while the past few years have seen advancements in treatments that can ease pain and slow the progression of the disease, researchers have yet to find the cause of scleroderma and are still looking for a cure.
As many in the House know, I have witnessed the terrible effects of this disease first-hand while I was forced to watch my mother Jean deteriorate under the awful effects of scleroderma, which ultimately took her life.
Scleroderma is a chronic autoimmune connective tissue disorder that can attack one's organs and shut them down one by one. This rare disease can also cause weeping ulcers, esophageal dysfunction, Raynaud's disease, skin deterioration and other symptoms. Almost 80% of those afflicted with scleroderma are women and most sufferers are diagnosed between the ages of 30 and 50.
We cannot settle until researchers find a cure. I urge all governments, the medical research community and academia to continue to advocate for more funding for scleroderma research so we can stem the tide of this disease and find a cure once and for all.