Editor,
Congresswoman Heather Wilson refused to co-sponsor a resolution concerning a rare disease disproportionately affecting Hispanics that has a 400-year history in New Mexico.
I am a 17th generation Hispanic whose ancestors came with Juan de Oñate in 1598. One of these ancestors brought with them an illness now identified as cerebral cavernous malformation (CCM/cavernous angioma). I, along with many New Mexico Hispanics in all counties of the state, have this illness today. My mother and a 9-year-old cousin lost their lives to this disease before being diagnosed correctly.
In 2008, then-Congressman Tom Udall championed House Resolution 1193, calling for increased awareness of and education and research on cavernous angiomas. I was shocked beyond belief that when asked to co-sponsor this resolution, then-Congresswoman Heather Wilson refused, even though this resolution did not have any dollars attached to it. If she is this unconcerned and uncaring about the Hispanics of New Mexico, what would she do for us in the U.S. Senate?
Joyce Gonzales
Daily Lobo reader
