II 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 864 

To provide for further comprehensive research at the National Institute of 

Neurological Disorders and Stroke on unruptured intracranial aneurysms. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 25, 2019 

Mr. BLUMENTHAL introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 

referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions 

A BILL 

To provide for further comprehensive research at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke 

on unruptured intracranial aneurysms. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Ellie Helton, Lisa 

5 Colagrossi, Teresa Anne Lawrence, and Jennifer Sedney 

6 Focused Research Act’’ or ‘‘Ellie’s Law’’. 

7 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

8 Congress makes the following findings: 


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1 (1) An estimated 6,000,000 people in the 

2 United States, or 1 in 50 people, have an 

3 unruptured brain aneurysm. 

4 (2) Each year, an estimated 30,000 people in 

5 the United States suffer a brain aneurysm rupture. 

6 Ruptured brain aneurysms are fatal in about 40 per7 cent of cases. Of those who survive, about 66 per8 cent suffer some permanent neurological deficit. 

9 (3) Brain aneurysms are more likely to occur in 

10 women than in men by a 3 to 2 ratio. People who 

11 experienced a brain aneurysm rupture include the 

12 following: 

13 (A) Ellie Helton. On July 16, 2014, Ellie 

14 Helton, a vibrant, loving 14-year-old from Apex, 

15 North Carolina, passed away as a result of a 

16 ruptured aneurysm, stunning her parents, 2 sis17 ters, and many, many loved ones. A day earlier, 

18 on her second day of high school, she woke up 

19 with a terrible headache after a plum-sized an20 eurysm on her brain stem ruptured. While she 

21 suffered headaches throughout her life, she was 

22 never diagnosed. Ellie was an avid reader and 

23 excellent student, loved the arts, and was in24 credibly creative. She had an unwavering, con25 stant love for the family and friends in her life. 


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1 (B) Lisa Colagrossi. On March 20, 2015, 

2 Lisa Colagrossi—WABC Eyewitness News re3 porter, wife of 17 years, and mother of 2 

4 sons—unexpectedly passed away at the age of 

5 49 years after suffering a massive ruptured 

6 brain aneurysm. Despite experiencing one of 

7 the classic warning signs of a brain aneurysm 

8 (the ‘‘worst headache of my life’’), Lisa’s pass9 ing came as a tremendous shock to her family 

10 and friends, who did not know what a brain an11 eurysm was, let alone its signs and symptoms. 

12 She is remembered for being a loving wife, a 

13 mother, and a successful reporter, and for her 

14 love of the New York Rangers. 

15 (C) Teresa Anne Lawrence, devoted moth16 er of 3, beloved wife, and staple of her commu17 nity, collapsed while visiting her son’s school on 

18 December 8, 1983. She had been struggling 

19 with and taking medication for hypertension for 

20 several years. At age 34, after being uncon21 scious for 4 days, she passed away as a result 

22 of a brain aneurysm. Her loving husband and 

23 extended family were left to raise their children, 

24 whom Teresa cherished so much. 


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1 (D) Jennifer Sedney. On December 25, 

2 2013, Jennifer Sedney, a beautiful, accom3 plished young woman, passed away suddenly at 

4 the age of 27 from a ruptured brain aneurysm. 

5 Her only symptom was the ‘‘worst headache of 

6 her life’’, which none of her friends or family 

7 realized was a symptom of a potentially fatal 

8 condition. Jenny was a jogger, a disciplined ex9 erciser, and a successful health care consultant 

10 and had recently launched a health blog found11 ed on 3 principles—‘‘bee curious, bee radiant, 

12 bee well’’. Her brother, mother, father, and a 

13 large devoted network of friends and relatives 

14 remember her every day. 

15 (4) The combined lost wages of survivors of 

16 brain aneurysm ruptures and their caretakers are 

17 approximately $138,000,000 per year. 

18 (5) Despite the widespread prevalence of this 

19 condition and the high societal cost it imposes on the 

20 Nation, the Federal Government spends only ap21 proximately $0.83 per year on brain aneurysm re22 search for each person afflicted with a brain aneu23 rysm. 

24 (6) The first 3 iterations of the International 

25 Study on Unruptured Intracranial Aneurysms 


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1 (ISUIA) have advanced researchers’ and clinicians’ 

2 understanding of how to most effectively manage 

3 and treat unruptured intracranial aneurysms. 

4 SEC. 3. FUNDING. 

5 (a) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—To con6 duct or support further comprehensive research on 

7 unruptured intracranial aneurysms, studying a broader 

8 patient population diversified by age, sex, and race, there 

9 is authorized to be appropriated to the National Institute 

10 of Neurological Disorders and Stroke $5,000,000 for each 

11 of fiscal years 2020 through 2024, to remain available 

12 through September 30, 2027. 

13 (b) SUPPLEMENT, NOT SUPPLANT.—Any funds 

14 made available pursuant to this section shall supplement, 

15 not supplant, other funding made available for research 

16 on brain aneurysms. 

Æ 


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