I 
117TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1553 
To provide for further comprehensive research at the National Institute of 
Neurological Disorders and Stroke on unruptured intracranial aneurysms. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 3, 2021 
Ms. CLARKE of New York (for herself, Mr. FITZPATRICK, Ms. SCANLON, and 
Mr. STIVERS) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Energy and Commerce 
A BILL 
To provide for further comprehensive research at the Na-
tional Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke 
on unruptured intracranial aneurysms. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Ellie Helton, Lisa 
Colagrossi, Kristen Shafer Englert, Teresa Anne Law-
rence, and Jennifer Sedney Focused Research Act’’ or 
‘‘Ellie’s Law’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
The Congress makes the following findings: 
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(1) An estimated 6.5 million people in the 
United States, or 1 in 50 people, have an 
unruptured brain aneurysm. 
(2) Each year, an estimated 30,000 people in 
the United States suffer a brain aneurysm rupture. 
Ruptured brain aneurysms are fatal in about 50 per-
cent of cases. Of those who survive, about 66 per-
cent suffer some permanent neurological deficit. 
(3) Brain aneurysms are more likely to occur in 
women than in men by a 3 to 2 ratio. This Act rep-
resents all those who have been affected and died 
due to a ruptured brain aneurysm, and their loved 
ones. People who experienced a brain aneurysm rup-
ture include the following: 
(A) Ellie Helton. On July 16, 2014, Ellie 
Helton, a vibrant, loving 14-year-old from Apex, 
North Carolina, passed away as a result of a 
ruptured aneurysm, stunning her parents, two 
sisters, and many, many loved ones. A day ear-
lier, on her second day of high school, she woke 
up with a terrible headache after a plum-sized 
aneurysm on her brain stem ruptured. While 
she suffered headaches throughout her life, she 
was never diagnosed. Ellie was an avid reader 
and excellent student, loved the arts, and was 
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incredibly creative. She had an unwavering, 
constant love for the family and friends in her 
life. 
(B) Lisa Colagrossi. On March 20, 2015, 
Lisa Colagrossi—WABC Eyewitness News re-
porter, wife of 17 years, and mother of two 
sons—unexpectedly passed away at the age of 
49 years after suffering a massive ruptured 
brain aneurysm. Despite experiencing one of 
the classic warning signs of a brain aneurysm 
(the ‘‘worst headache of my life’’), Lisa’s pass-
ing came as a tremendous shock to her family 
and friends, who did not know what a brain an-
eurysm was, let alone its signs and symptoms. 
She is remembered for being a loving wife, a 
mother, and a successful reporter, and for her 
love of the New York Rangers. 
(C) Kristen Shafer Englert. On November 
24, 2013, Kristen Shafer Englert, a devoted 
wife, mother, daughter, sister, aunt, and friend, 
passed away from a ruptured brain aneurysm 
at the age of 25, just weeks after giving birth 
to her son. Prior to her passing, she went to the 
emergency room with symptoms of a brain an-
eurysm and was sent home without a scan. 
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Kristen was a dedicated teacher who loved chil-
dren. She was thrilled to become a mother. 
Sadly, she only experienced motherhood for a 
few short days. Kristen’s family members have 
been dedicated advocates since her passing. 
(D) Teresa Anne Lawrence. On December 
8, 1983, Teresa Anne Lawrence,a devoted 
mother of three, beloved wife, and staple of her 
community, collapsed while visiting her son’s 
school. She had been struggling with and taking 
medication for hypertension for several years. 
At age 34, after being unconscious for four 
days, she passed away as a result of a brain an-
eurysm. Her loving husband and extended fam-
ily were left to raise their children, whom Te-
resa cherished so much. 
(E) Jennifer Sedney. On December 25, 
2013, Jennifer Sedney, a beautiful, accom-
plished young woman, passed away suddenly at 
the age of 27 from a ruptured brain aneurysm. 
Her only symptom was the ‘‘worst headache of 
her life’’, which none of her friends or family 
realized was a symptom of a potentially fatal 
condition. Jenny was a jogger, a disciplined ex-
erciser, and a successful health care consultant 
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and had recently launched a health blog found-
ed on three principles—‘‘bee curious, bee radi-
ant, bee well’’. Her brother, mother, and father, 
and a large devoted network of friends and rel-
atives, remember her every day. 
(4) Brain aneurysm ruptures have a significant 
fiscal impact on survivors, caretakers, and the health 
care community. The annual estimated pre-insur-
ance direct cost of brain aneurysm ruptures to 
American patients is approximately $1,400,000,000, 
and the estimated direct cost to hospitals each year 
is approximately $2,700,000,000. The length of stay 
in the intensive care unit is the largest driver of cost 
for brain aneurysm ruptures, and estimates do not 
reflect indirect costs including travel, food, childcare, 
and wage losses for patients and caretakers. 
(5) Despite the widespread prevalence of this 
condition and the high societal cost it imposes on the 
Nation, the Federal Government only spends ap-
proximately $2.08 per year on brain aneurysm re-
search for each person afflicted with a brain aneu-
rysm. 
(6) The first three iterations of the Inter-
national Study on Unruptured Intracranial Aneu-
rysms (ISUIA) have advanced researchers’ and clini-
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cians’ understanding of how to most effectively man-
age and treat unruptured intracranial aneurysms. 
SEC. 3. FUNDING. 
(a) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—To con-
duct or support further comprehensive research on 
unruptured intracranial aneurysms, studying a broader 
patient population diversified by age, sex, and race, there 
is authorized to be appropriated to the National Institute 
of Neurological Disorders and Stroke $10,000,000 for 
each of fiscal years 2022 through 2026, to remain avail-
able through September 30, 2029. 
(b) SUPPLEMENT, NOT
SUPPLANT.—Any funds 
made available pursuant to this section shall supplement, 
not supplant, other funding made available for research 
on brain aneurysms. 
Æ 
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