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Regular Session, 2012 ENROLLED
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTI ON NO. 141
BY SENATOR CLAITOR AND REPRESENTATIVES CARTER AND FOIL
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTI ON
To designate June 1, 2012, as Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Day in Louisiana and to
name the Brett and Melanie Williams Family as 2012 Louisiana Congenital Heart
Defect Ambassadors.
WHEREAS, congenital heart defects are the number-one birth defect worldwide and
the number-one cause of birth-defect-related deaths worldwide; and
WHEREAS, about one out of every one hundred babies are born each year with some
type of congenital heart defect (CHD) in the United States, approximately forty thousand a
year; and
WHEREAS, in addition, nearly twice as many American children die from CHDs
each year as from all forms of childhood cancers combined, yet funding for pediatric-cancer
research is five times higher than funding for CHDs; and
WHEREAS, although research is ongoing, at least thirty-five CHDs have been
identified, some of which are diagnosed during gestation or at birth, others of which are not
detected until days, weeks, months, or even years after; and
WHEREAS, critically, it is a proven fact that the earlier a CHD is detected and
treated, the likelier it is that an affected child will survive and have fewer long-term health
complications; and
WHEREAS, of the CHDs, Hydroplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS) is one of the
most challenging that a child can have as it is a lesion where the left side of the heart (mitral
valve, ventricle, aorta, and aortic arch) is not developed, requiring a three-stage surgical
repair, without which the condition is terminal, although the five year survival of children
successfully undergoing the sequence of surgeries is over eighty percent, although chronic
medical problems persist; and
WHEREAS, on November 7, 2011, Melanie Williams, a registered nurse specializing
in labor and delivery and married to Brett Williams and mother of two children, gave birth
to her third child, a daughter, Olivia, who had been diagnosed and was born with HLHS; and SCR NO. 141 ENROLLED
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WHEREAS, the Williams family is maintaining a website named "Olivia's Special
Heart - Our HLHS Journey" at http://www.oliviasheart.org; which is chronicling the events
and activities involving Olivia and her family in an effort to generate greater awareness to
this disease and its impact on families; and
WHEREAS, in light of the emphasis on CHDs, the legislature wishes to highlight
to the citizens of Louisiana the fine work of medical professionals who seek to help families
dealing with heart defects, as well as the courageous manner in which affected families rise
above this medical challenge; and
WHEREAS, the legislature recognizes that all Louisiana citizens should educate
themselves on the forms of congenital heart defects; and
WHEREAS, to that end, the legislature desires to identify a champion for these
important causes as the 2012 Louisiana Congenital Heart Defect Ambassador; and
WHEREAS, to further underscore the importance of these matters, the legislature
wishes to designate a Congenital Heart Defect (CHD) Awareness Day in Louisiana.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Legislature of Louisiana that June 1, 2012,
is hereby designated as Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Day in Louisiana.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Brett and Melanie Williams Family is hereby
named 2012 Louisiana Congenital Heart Defect Ambassadors.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana hereby encourages
all Louisiana citizens to educate themselves on the forms of congenital heart defects, and to
help adults, children, and families living with congenital heart defects to achieve their full
potential.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to Brett
and Melanie Williams, the governor of the state of Louisiana, the secretary of the
Department of Health and Hospitals, the executive director of the Pennington Biomedical
Research Center, the chancellor of Louisiana State University-New Orleans, the chief
executive officer of Medical Center of Louisiana at New Orleans, the chief executive officer
of Leonard J. Chabert Medical Center in Houma, the administrator of University Medical
Center in Lafayette, the administrator of Lallie Kemp Regional Medical Center in
Independence, the administrator of Bogalusa Medical Center in Bogalusa, the administrator SCR NO. 141 ENROLLED
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of W.O. Moss Regional Medical Center in Lake Charles, the chancellor of Louisiana State
University-Shreveport, the administrator of E.A. Conway Medical Center in Monroe, the
administrator of Huey P. Long Medical Center in Pineville, the chief executive officer of the
Tulane Medical Center, the chief executive officer of the Oschner Health System, the
Louisiana Chapter of the March of Dimes, and the American Heart Association in Louisiana.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES