[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 76 (Thursday, June 16, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           RACE FOR THE CURE

  Mr. BIDEN. Mr. President, this Saturday thousands of Americans will 
participate in the annual Race for the Cure here in Washington. While 
this is the event that receives the most national attention, it is just 
one of over 30 such races held each year throughout the country.
  The object of any race is to finish in as little time as possible. 
And, yet, in the time it will take the fastest person in Saturday's 
race to complete the course, three more women will be diagnosed with 
breast cancer and another woman will have died.
  I knew one of those women. A few years ago, my wife Jill and I had a 
close friend who succumbed to the disease. She was another 1 of the 
statistics--1 of the 46,000 American women who die of the disease each 
year. Yet, like the thousands upon thousands of women before and after 
her, she had a face and a name; she had a family and friends.
  As a son, a husband, and a father of a teenage girl, I do not want to 
see another close friend or a family member become yet another victim 
of this emotionally cruel and devastating disease. And so, I cannot 
help feeling obliged to do what I can as a U.S. Senator to combat 
breast cancer.
  But despite my interest, my efforts, and my position, there is only 
so much I can do. And, frankly, what I can do is limited compared to 
what can be accomplished by the hard work of thousands of Americans who 
deal with breast cancer on a daily basis--men and women alike, 
including breast cancer survivors and the family members of its 
victims.
  I am talking about people like my wife Jill, who in 1993 founded the 
Biden breast health initiative--a volunteer organization of community 
leaders, health care professionals, and breast cancer survivors. The 
initiative educates young women throughout Delaware on proper breast 
health and the importance of early detection in the fight against 
breast cancer. The hard work of dozens of Delawareans involved with 
this initiative and other initiatives--too many people to mention now--
is making a difference.
  As for me, my efforts in the Senate to combat breast cancer will 
continue. Efforts to ensure adequate funding for breast cancer 
research. Efforts to ensure that all women have access to mammograms 
and that those diagnosed with the disease have access to treatment. 
And, yes, efforts to find a successful cure.
  But, my efforts will ultimately fail without the diligence of 
individual Americans. That is what the Race for the Cure is all about: 
Americans of all walks of life pledging together to fight breast cancer 
for the sake of all the women in America. Or as the slogan of the race 
goes: ``A sporting event with a mission: the cure and control of breast 
cancer.''
  I commend those Americans who will run this Saturday as well as those 
Americans who have raced in dozens of cities across the country. 
Together, we can end the scourge of breast cancer in America.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Rhode Island.

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