Carol Vreim...

Today is Carol Vreim's last day at PHA...

She certainly been been a tremendous asset to PHA as a part-time employee for the past several years but her life and work have been intertwined with the PH community since the 1970's.

In 1973, a group of physicians with an early interest in PH met under the auspices of the World Health Organization. Their goal was to review the current state of knowledge on Primary PH (later described as idiopathic PH).  Following that review, they proposed the establishment of a multicenter collaborative study. This led to the historic and invaluable NHLBI PPH registry which enrolled 187 U.S. patients  from 1981 to 1985. Carol was in charge of that registry.  It was this information that framed much of the research that took place over the next two decades.  It also helped to develop a network of physicians who built this little known field into today's vibrant and active medical community.

Carol also was a catch point for patients during a period of great isolation.  They would call her desk at the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute and she would put them in touch with each other and, as PHA came into existence, with PHA leaders.  As a trustee of the Dauna Leigh Bauer Foundation, she kept Dauna's legacy alive, through early Foundation gifts that helped PHA establish itself in the early days.

After Dr. Vreim's retirement as Deputy Director of the Lung Division at NHLBI, we were honored to have her talents at PHA.

Thank you Dr. Vreim.  Good luck in your move to Pennsylvania. Have no doubt that we'll miss you and that we'll stay in touch!

Persistence...

What's the old saying?  If the mountain won't come to Mohammed, Mohammed will come to the mountain...

When staff members for both North Carolina Senators - Kay Hagan and  Richard Burr  - said a meeeting with the Senators in the state would be impossible,  North Carolina residents and PH support group members Diane Ramirez, Janet Cecil and Cindy Pickles decided to come to Washington, D.C.

They found out that, starting May of this year, Senator Hagan hosts a Thursday Carolina Coffee hour once a week for her constituents...and last Thursday they were there.  With only one other constituent in the room they had plenty of time to make the Senator aware of the Pulmonary Hypertension and Awareness Act of 2009 from the perspective of 3 PH patients.

After that, they spoke to Senator Burr's staff and then completed the goal that brought them to town. As Diane tells it,

"Our goal has been to meet every member of the House and Senate from North Carolina and tell them about House Bill 1030 - the PH Research and Education Act.  We met that goal on Thursday and now we're following up."

So how are they doing?

Well, after their visits, they came to the PHA Board meeting (Cindy is a member) and briefed us.  That's Diane in the picture.

Then, this morning - a week later - I saw that Representative Patrick McHenry had signed on as a co-sponsor.  I then checked the full list and saw that so have Reps. Jones, Price and Coble.  That's 4 North Carolina Members out of 13...so far!

Can people make a difference.  You bet we can and the ladies from North Carolina are proving it.   And so are many others.  Our bill now has 30 co-sponsors - and growing.

Diane went on to tell the PHA Board that,

"Cindy is our support group leader and awhile backshe asked me to help out with advocacy.  I hesitated.  I didn't know what I was doing but I learned.  Now, I'm hooked.  I know we're making a difference."

For more on how you can get involved in making a difference through public adocacy, visit PHA's Advocacy Center.