Cranston Resident appears in Whitehouse Ad

The Whitehouse for Senate campaign released its first TV ad last week and in it, Cranston resident Amanda Martin and her family make an appearance.

Amanda’s son, Ryan Joseph Martin, was born on March 22, 2010 with an extremely rare, life threatening disorder known as CLOVES Syndrome. Ryan was born the day after Congress passed the Affordable Care Act, and the day before President Obama signed the bill into law.  While the country was a buzz about health care reform, Amanda states that she and her husband, Keith, were able to rest comfortably knowing that the passing of the bill meant Ryan could never be refused health insurance due to a pre-existing condition or max out lifetime limits of his insurance policy.  

CLOVES Syndrome is an extremely rare disorder diagnosed in about 80 people worldwide.  CLOVES stands for Congenital, Lipomatous Overgrowth, Vascular malformations, Epidermal nevi and Scoliosis/Skeletal/Spinal anomalies.  Ryan will live with CLOVES his entire life; there is no cure or medical solution, managed only by an interdisciplinary team of physicians with experience in overgrowth and vascular anomalies and surgical intervention.

Ryan has a team of over a dozen medical specialists that work with him, and he has undergone four surgeries since birth. Amanda and Keith state that Ryan is a happy 2-year-old, but requires more medical attention than most, and are grateful for Senator Whitehouse’s advocacy for health care reform and his support of the Affordable Care Act, which allows them to rest assured that Ryan will forever have the treatment and quality of life he deserves.

"Whether it's protecting Medicare and Social Security from attempted Republican cuts, fighting to save Rhode Island jobs, helping people through difficult health issues, or working to keep people in their homes, we can count on Senator Whitehouse to be there for us,” said Tony Simon, Campaign Manager. “This advertisement tells just some of the stories of how Rhode Islanders have persevered during these difficult times, and how Senator Whitehouse is making a difference in their everyday lives.” 

Sheldon Whitehouse's campaign Web site is: www.whitehouseforsenate.com