Subject: Letter to Senator

I am a 38 year old woman with three beautiful children and a wonderful husband. My mother died of breast cancer in January of 1998. My grandmother, her mother, died of breast cancer in 2000. Having such a strong history of breast cancer in my family, I decided to seek out a certified clinical nutritionist to see if there was something that I could be doing nutritionally that might lower my risk of getting breast cancer. So, in May of 2002, I consulted Tamara Mariea, a certified clinical nutritionist. After conducting a few preliminary tests, Tamara suggested that when I go in for my annual pap smear that I request that my gynecologist run a few extra blood tests(thyroid panel and a CMA 20 or chem screen).The chem screen came back showing high iron .With this result, Tamara put together a protocol that would focus on the health of my liver and eventually did an iron panel that would give her a more detailed breakdown of my iron. Had Tamara not suggested that I have my doctor run the chem screen and then done a detailed iron panel, I would be walking around today still not knowing that I have hereditary hemochromatosis. A regular cbc, which is the only test my doctor was going to run, does not show the total iron, and in fact, showed that I was slightly anemic, which is typical in a person who has hereditary hemochromatosis.After getting the results from my iron panel back, Tamara called me and suggested that I consult with a liver specialist regarding the results. The liver specialist then did the necessary tests(genetic), and determined that I had hereditary hemochromatosis,which is a genetic disease caused by mutated genes in which the liver is unable to metabolize iron efficiently. Early diagnosis for this hereditary condition is considered a great "luxury", because there are virtually no symptoms until the iron overload has stored in the vital organs of the body(heart,liver and pancreas) and caused organ damage or failure. After my formal diagnosis I was then able to share the information with my brothers and sisters who also went ahead with genetic testing. Two out of the four of my siblings also have HH, and we know this because Tamara had the knowledge to "steer" me in the right direction from the beginning of my relationship with her.

Thank you, Tamara, for sharing your knowledge and for your genuine concern for your client's well being. Without your expertise in the field of nutrition and your biochemical background, we would not know that we have a genetic disease that has been labeled the "silent killer" because there are virtually no symptoms until it is too late.

Sincerely,
Sally Kelly