Myrl Jeffcoat myrlj@jps.net

MS. B. DOWD: Good morning. Mr. Chairman and members of the panel, I appreciate the opportunity to speak to you about the dangers of silicone breast implants.

My name is Brenna Dowd. I am from Boise, Idaho. I came with my mother in our old motor home. We used my father's life insurance money to get here.

Ever since I have been old enough to pay attention to my mother's health, she has been sick. My dad died in December. And now we are alone, and I have to take care of her.

I have never known a healthy mother. Mom will never tell people about all the times she has been unable to walk right, sometimes crawling, many times falling. She would never tell you about the times when she gets confused or when her legs hurt her so much she has to sit in a hot bath maybe three times a day or more just to ease the pain because of the silicone breast implants.

Mom will never tell you how she fell out of the motor home on the way here and I was afraid she wouldn't be able to finish the trip or when we got to Hagerstown Saturday night, she was too exhausted to even eat.

My mother liked to go camping in the mountains in Idaho with my father. She hasn't been able to do that for a long time. She gets too tired to do anything physical.

Mom has never been able to do many things other moms should be able to do with their children, such as shop all day in the mall or play real hard with me. Even simple walks exhaust her. She tries, but she is too sick.

In closing, I leave a message from my father. One of his greatest regrets in life was that he had not protected my mom from the implants and that she could not get health insurance. He blamed himself, but Dad was not to blame. These companies that sell implants to innocent women and make them sick are the ones who should be held accountable. They poisoned my mother and robbed me of a healthy mom and my father of a healthy wife.

I beg you to please ban silicone breast implants. Thank you.

CHAIRMAN CHOTI: Thank you.