[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 140 (Thursday, October 9, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Page S10816]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           PAT BARR'S CRUSADE

 Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, October is Breast Cancer Awareness 
Month. I would like bring to the attention of the Senate a breast 
cancer survivor in Vermont who has poured herself into reaching out to 
others who are dealing with this devastating disease, and who has made 
finding a cure her lifetime crusade.
  Pat Barr of Bennington, VT, is a true example of one person being 
able to make a difference.
  It was a visit in early 1992 from Pat and several other Vermont 
women--grassroots organizers and survivors of breast cancer--that led 
to my long involvement in working with others to address the urgent 
need for more intensive research on breast cancer, which has taken the 
lives of more than 1 million women over the past 35 years.
  Soon after that visit I was joined by several Members of Congress in 
starting a congressional campaign to help eradicate breast cancer. We 
began by introducing a resolution urging the Secretary of Health and 
Human Services to declare breast cancer a public health emergency. The 
resolution raised public awareness about breast cancer and sent a 
strong message that we needed to accelerate the investigation into the 
causes, treatments, and prevention of this illness.
  Pat Barr's support, energy, and determination to make a difference 
has immeasurably helped me in efforts to elevate breast cancer research 
as a Federal priority, including in the annual Department of Defense 
budget, where we have been able to allocate $737.5 million for breast 
cancer research over the past 6 years.
  She also worked closely with Congressman Sanders and with me in 
envisioning and crafting a new tool in the struggle to find a cure for 
all cancers: the National Program for Cancer Registries. Cancer 
registries serve as a foundation for a national, comprehensive 
prevention strategy. They monitor trends in the incidence of breast 
cancers and other cancers and in mortality rates, as well as offering a 
source for population-based epidemiologic research at NIH and other 
research institutions.
  For a decade, Pat has tirelessly volunteered her time and energy to 
this effort. Pat is the founder of the Breast Cancer Network of 
Vermont. She has been a board member of the National Breast Cancer 
Coalition since its inception in 1991. She has served as a consumer 
advocate on panels at the National Cancer Institute, the Centers for 
Disease Control, and the Army Breast Cancer Research Program.
  Earlier this year, Vermonters honored Pat by dedicating the annual 
Vermont Race for the Cure in her honor.
  A recent editorial in the Bennington Banner said it best: ``Pat Barr 
is a hero worth honoring.''
  I ask that the text of the editorial be printed in the Record.
  The editorial follows:

                   Pat Barr Is a Hero Worth Honoring

       You can make a difference. One local woman has shown the 
     way. Pat Barr of Shaftsbury has taken her experience with the 
     disease of breast cancer and turned it into a crusade for 
     better research with impacts from Bennington to Washington, 
     D.C.
       And because of that personal achievement, the Annual Susan 
     G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation Vermont Race for the Cure 
     was dedicated this year to Barr. The Sunday race is designed 
     to raise funds for breast cancer research, with 75 percent of 
     the money staying in Vermont.
       Barr's own experience with breast cancer began in 1987, 
     when she was diagnosed. It has reoccurred since then, but 
     despite that Barr has not turned from her decade of tireless 
     work.
       Barr founded the Breast Cancer Network, a Vermont advocacy 
     and service organization based in Bennington and also serving 
     New York and Massachusetts. The network helps area women get 
     tests, information and services.
       She joined Vermont's U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy and U.S. Rep. 
     Bernard Sanders in developing the National Cancer Registry. 
     She worked with Leahy in his fight to secure an additional 
     $300 million toward breast cancer research in 1992.
       Her efforts eventually took her to Washington with 2.6 
     million signatures to convince President Clinton to approve a 
     national action plan to fight breast cancer.
       Barr, a mother, attorney and businesswoman, has also been 
     active in the Vermont Civil Liberties Union and the Vermont 
     Bar Association and was a member of the State Board of 
     Education.
       Barr has kept her faith--she is a member of the 
     Congregation Beth El in Bennington and was instrumental in 
     its resurgence.
       She is a role model and a credit to this community.
       Barr is a local hero who cannot be honored enough for her 
     work for Vermont women.

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