It is with great sadness that we share the news of the passing of Elaine Eigeman, Board Chair of the Lymphedema Advocacy Group.
While she played a key role in working with our Congressional champions to raise awareness about lymphedema and the LTA, her favorite part was teaching others how to be advocates. In addition to her service with LAG, she volunteered with the NW Lymphedema Center and was a hike leader for Team Survivor NW, which served her well in walking (and running) the halls of Capitol Hill.
Elaine’s contributions to our efforts are almost too numerous to list, but below are some highlights. If you are on Facebook, we invite you to share fond memories of Elaine here. You can also read a goodbye message from Elaine to her fellow advocates, which she called her Legacy Letter.
Elaine told me many times that working on the Lymphedema Treatment Act was the most important thing she’d done in her life. She was grateful for each and every person who took the time to call, write, or meet with their members of Congress about the bill. I know she will be watching over us as we push on and get this bill across the finish line!
Heather Ferguson
Founder& Executive Director
Lymphedema Advocacy Group
LymphedemaTreatmentAct.org
2011 – Elaine joined the Lymphedema Advocacy Group Board of Directors
2012 – Elaine began to form a relationship with Congressman Dave Reichert, who at the time was on the Ways & Means Health Subcommittee that has jurisdiction over the LTA
2013 – Thanks to Elaine’s diligence and her recruiting of many other excellent Washington state advocates, Reichert agreed to become our new lead sponsor
2014 – Elaine became Chair of the Lymphedema Advocacy Group Board and was instrumental in forming and leading the Advocacy Training Committee
2015 – The Senate companion bill was introduced with Washington Senator Maria Cantwell as the lead sponsor
2016 – Elaine’s state of Washington was the first to obtain cosponsorship from every member of their state’s delegation
2017 – We reached our goal of establishing State Advocacy Teams in all 50 states, an idea that was inspired by the way Elaine first brought together a team of advocates in her own state
2018 – The LTA became the most cosponsored healthcare bill of the 115th Congress, thanks in large part to the army of advocates we now have around the country, many of whom had been mentored by Elaine
2019 – The LTA is reintroduced into the new Congress with an almost unheard of number of original cosponsors (meaning those listed as cosponsors at the time of introduction) – 32 in the Senate and 93 in the House – and until her final day Elaine continued to advocate for the bill
