Josh Gottheimer

I'm writing to thank Rep. Josh Gottheimer for his co-sponsorship of the Stem Cell Therapeutic and Research Reauthorization Act (H.R. 5160). The legislation, which reauthorizes the C.W. Bill Young Cell Transplantation Program, supports blood cancer and disorder patients by growing and maintaining a national registry for bone marrow and blood cell donors, as well as cord blood units. Gottheimer’s commitment to patients and families has made a meaningful difference in countless lives, including my own.

My journey with a rare primary immune deficiency began when I was a baby, and my family searched for a stem cell donor. Initially, I underwent an umbilical cord blood transplant at age three, which sadly failed. Six months later, a new donor was found through the C.W. Bill Young Cell Transplantation Program, leading to a successful second transplant at age four. I am now a healthy 17-year-old, all thanks to my selfless donor.

For the past two years, I have been actively involved in advocacy with the program, which has been deeply meaningful to me. It has allowed me to support other patients in need and participate in meetings with Gottheimer's office to further the program's mission.

The program serves as the nation's single point of access for stem cell transplantation by providing physicians with effective access to 42 million potential donors and more than 760,000 cord blood units worldwide. The program also recruits healthy volunteer donors, collects transplant outcome data, and expands long-term research. Nearly 150,000 patients have been impacted, with a 33% increase over the last five years.

The continued reauthorization of the program and HR 5160 is critical to ensuring that patients can access timely and potentially life-saving transplants when they need them most. Thank you again for your bipartisan leadership and dedication to advancing life-saving blood stem cell and cord blood therapies and research.

Ezra Fineman resides in New Jersey.