[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 44 (Tuesday, April 15, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E655]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    COMMEMORATION OF VENTURA COUNTY CHILDHOOD CANCER AWARENESS WEEK

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                          HON. ELTON GALLEGLY

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 15, 1997

  Mr. GALLEGLY. Mr. Speaker, I would like to commemorate the week of 
April 14 through April 20 as ``Childhood Cancer Awareness Week'' in 
Ventura County, CA.
  Through the unwavering dedication of Steven Firestein and the 
American Cancer Fund for Children, which he founded, the lives of 
countless children suffering from cancer have been touched. This 
organization has brought the issue of childhood cancer in the United 
States to the forefront and heightened community involvement in social 
services to families in need.
  Each year, approximately 10,000 children in the United States are 
diagnosed with cancer, the leading cause of death by disease among 
children in this country. Incited to action by these staggering 
numbers, the American Cancer Fund for Children has not only worked to 
heighten awareness, but to provide financial assistance for medical 
procedures, food, clothing, transportation, prosthetic devices and 
social service programs to young people in treatment at hospitals 
throughout Los Angeles County and serving residents of Ventura County.
  The American Cancer Fund for Children has accepted the challenge of 
meeting the demand for patient and family services to help promote the 
chances of survival. These services provide a variety of patient 
psycho-social services designed to foster self-esteem, encourage peer 
interaction, and develop special patient communication.
  I would especially like to thank Steven Firestein who, out of the 
death of his friend, began his mission to improve the lives of other 
children stricken with cancer. From this personal tragedy rose an array 
of services and programs to assist childhood victims of cancer.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask all of my colleagues to join me in recognizing the 
outstanding efforts of the American Cancer Fund for Children in 
conjunction with Ventura County during Childhood Cancer Awareness Week.

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