[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 75 (Wednesday, June 15, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: June 15, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                           RACE FOR THE CURE

  Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, this weekend marks the 5th year that 
Washingtonians will participate in the Race for the Cure. I am informed 
that sponsors are expecting as many as 20,000 participants to 
commemorate this year's anniversary of Washington's first Race for the 
Cure to combat breast cancer.
  In the past, the Race for the Cure has helped raise critical funding 
for medical research and for mammograms. Much of this money remains in 
the local area to support research institutions and provide mammograms 
for women who could not otherwise afford them.
  The Race for the Cure is also an exceptional tool for raising public 
awareness about breast cancer and of alerting women to the importance 
of early detection measures.
  Many of Saturday's race participants will actually be breast cancer 
survivors. Many more will be the spouses, the siblings, or the friends 
of both breast cancer survivors and, I am sad to say, the many women 
who have not survived their battle with this terrible disease. It is 
for all these individuals that we race on Saturday, and it is for them 
that we continue our efforts to support research and public awareness, 
in the hope that one day all women who face this disease will be 
survivors.
  Although we have made significant strides in combating breast cancer, 
we are far from the finish line. Medical research into the causes, 
cure, and prevention of breast cancer is essential to this effort. I am 
pleased that President Clinton has expressed his commitment in this 
regard by including in his budget proposal a 4.7-percent increase for 
biomedical and behavioral research to be conducted by the National 
Institutes of Health. This funding will be targeted in part toward 
women's health and especially toward breast cancer research.
  Public awareness and prevention efforts are also critical components 
of our battle against breast cancer. Today doctors strongly recommend 
monthly self-examinations to check for the early warning signs of 
breast cancer, but sometimes these early warning signs are not early 
enough. That is why it is so important for women at risk to have 
mammograms. A portion of the proceeds from the race this Saturday will 
be devoted to providing mammograms for women who would otherwise not be 
able to obtain them, and I am hopeful that one day we will be able to 
detect all breast cancer at an early stage.
  But I am even more hopeful, however, that we will someday have a 
cure. Over 70 percent of all women who have breast cancer do not 
exhibit any of the known risk factors. This year, 182,000 women will be 
diagnosed with breast cancer and, unfortunately, 46,000 women will die 
from this terrible disease. So we must find a cure.
  Sometimes the most effective movements are born of tragedy. The Race 
for the Cure is no exception. This race is a tribute to all women who 
have not survived their battle with breast cancer. It is in their 
memory that we continue our efforts to increase support for medical 
research and to raise public awareness about this important issue.
  This race is also a tribute to all those women who are surviving 
their battle with breast cancer. It is in their honor that we stand 
with them, walk with them, and run with them--it is in respect that we 
race with them--to find a cure for breast cancer.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDENT pro tempore. Under the order previously entered, the 
Senator from Vermont [Mr. Leahy] is recognized to speak for up to 15 
minutes.

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