ORLANDO, Fla. - eTradeWire -- At a Gala in Orlando, Dr. Patel received the "Champion of Impact" award. The Foundation's "Champion of Impact" honors individuals who have made a significant impact in the fight against sickle cell disease. In this case, the Award was given to Dr. Patel in appreciation of his health advocacy and support of patients with sickle cell disorders.

The Award is inscribed: "Champion of Impact Award, presented to Dr. Patel, M.D., with gratitude for your extraordinary health advocacy, and service to patients impacted by sickle cell and other disorders. Your diligence and passionate display have impacted all lives."

In his acceptance speech, Dr. Patel said that "if there is one message that I want to give, it's that nothing is assured in this life, nothing is given, everything is a fight, everything is a struggle, and with the promise of gene therapy, with the promise of having … not a cure, but an option to … stem the disease… Everything has to be advocated for and …I would advise everybody here to write to the insurance companies, write to their hospitals, write to their representatives, and say 'look, this needs to be covered. This is something that our patients need.' …[T]here is an actual business case to be made that you save money by giving this, although expensive, truly remarkable treatment. I would say that if everybody here wrote a letter to their congressman, to their senator, to the insurance company, it would make a difference. So please, if there is one thing I would say, please do that! Thank you."

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About Dr. Zamip Patel

Zamip Patel, M.D. is a Urologist with fellowship training in Andrology/Male Infertility. He has been in practice since 2011 in Orlando. His blog is at https://zamippatel-md.com/