[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 138 (Monday, September 30, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Pages S12038-S12039]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO SHERRY KOHLENBERG

 Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, exactly 2 weeks ago on September 16, I was 
privileged to join with Virginia's First

[[Page S12039]]

Lady, Mrs. Susan Allen, in the opening of the Face of Breast Cancer 
exhibit at the Regency Square Mall in Richmond, VA. This dramatic 
exhibition displays the photographs and life stories of 84 American 
women who have tragically become the victims of breast cancer. Of those 
portrayed, four were Virginians: Marianne Thatcher of Arlington, 
Lorraine M. Smusz of Buchanan, Kyong Ja Kim Pearce of Herndon, and 
Sharon Helen ``Sherry'' Kohlenberg of Richmond.
  At the opening of the exhibit, the Virginia Breast Cancer Foundation, 
which together with the National Breast Cancer Coalition sponsored the 
exhibit, presented the 1996 Sharon H. Kohlenberg Healthcare Service 
Award to two outstanding individuals for their exceptional 
contributions in the fight against breast cancer. Those honored were 
Dr. Claire Carman, a surgeon from Tidewater, VA; and Katharine Spiegel, 
a nurse from the Medical College of Virginia.
  Presenting the awards was Mr. Larry Goldman, husband of Sherry 
Kohlenberg, and their son, Sammy. In memory of Sherry, Mr. Goldman gave 
one of the most moving tributes which I have ever heard, and with his 
permission, I am today submitting it for the Congressional Record, not 
only to share with my Senate colleagues but indeed all of those who 
have loved ones or are themselves battling the scourge of breast 
cancer.
  The tribute follows:

       Sherry didn't want to be a ``Face of Breast Cancer.'' When 
     I met her, she was nineteen, I was twenty-one and we were 
     students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, she only 
     wanted to be Sherry--happy, independent thinking, caring, 
     life loving Sherry. She loved to just hang out with our 
     friends, share a bottle wine, talk and laugh the night away.
       School was important to her. Her interest and ability to 
     master Romantic languages, and her interest in social justice 
     led to her major in Iberio-American Studies. She also liked 
     to get A's and would definitely stand up to a professor who 
     had evaluated her work unfairly.
       For her artistic outlet, Sherry was a photographer. She 
     spent hours taking and developing photos that showed her 
     perspective of herself and life. Each finished photograph had 
     to have the perfect gradations of blacks and whites before it 
     was matted as a finished work of art. These are a few of 
     them. The hand-colored photo won first prize in the 
     University of Wisconsin student art show.
       Later in her life, Sherry saw a need and had a desire to 
     enter what was at that time very male-dominated world of 
     health administration. She decided to concentrate in the 
     field of Risk Management, setting up policies that kept the 
     costs of health care down so that no one in our society would 
     ever be denied the health care that they needed. At the 
     Medical College of Virginia, she defined the structure and 
     policies of the Risk Management Department. Her warm, caring 
     personality and sharp, quick intelligence made her the 
     perfect person to balance complex issues between patients, 
     doctors and more than once, lawyers. She understood, she 
     cared and she was always fair.
       Bright, artistic, professional, Sherry was also, of course, 
     Sammy's mommy and my wife. We bought what was supposed to be 
     our first house over in Lakeside, thinking we would keep it 
     for five years and move to another school district when Sammy 
     was ready for first grade. Sam was suppose to be the first of 
     three children. Sherry had the good job while I wrote, and 
     took care of Sam but we had plans for Sherry to take some 
     time off to spend with the children at some future date. 
     Sherry had plans for a lifetime and when breast cancer 
     started shattering her plans, she simply made more plans.
       Sherry was never a victim of breast cancer. She was always 
     a fighter and an advocate. She fought so that the fight 
     against breast cancer would get the funding and attention 
     that it deserved. She fought against policies that harmed 
     women, against policies and attitudes that didn't go far 
     enough in this war. When Sherry realized that the cancer was 
     stealing her life, she didn't stop fighting. She fought for 
     Sam, for me, for every person and family that was and will be 
     forever battered by this horrible disease. She gave me the 
     support I needed to finish my Masters and become a teacher. 
     With her concern that she create strong memories for Sammy 
     and that he would always know how much she loved him, Sherry 
     contacted her friend, Hillary Clinton, and arranged a White 
     House visit where Sammy met the President and Mrs. Clinton, 
     and made sure that Sammy and I continued to be part of the 
     ``Faces of Hope'' family. Sherry didn't even let the cancer 
     stop her from taking a trip to Disney World and what she 
     called ``that smutzy Disney World'' King's Dominion where 
     Sammy remembers getting stuck in smurf mountain with his 
     Mommy. Sherry made sure that the White House had the name and 
     phone number of her close friend Mary Jo Kahn who she knew 
     was an valuable resource in forming breast cancer policy. She 
     cared and worried about all of us, not herself.
       Sherry never wanted to be ``A Face of Breast Cancer'' and 
     she wouldn't have wanted to have an award named after her, 
     she wanted to live, but she would have been honored and proud 
     of both. As a part of the ``Faces of Breast Cancer'' Sherry 
     will continue being the advocate for breast health. And with 
     this wonderful ``Sherry Kohlenberg Healthcare Service Award'' 
     given by the Virginia Breast Cancer Foundation, Sherry will 
     always be honoring those who continue the fight, and she 
     would have been especially pleased when close friends like 
     Kathy Spiegle, and those she would have wanted to know like 
     Dr. Claire Carman, are honored. With these honors, Sherry is 
     with us, her voice is heard, her strength supports us, her 
     love is felt, as it always will be until this war against 
     breast cancer is won. Thank you.

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