[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 144 (Thursday, October 23, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S11163-S11164]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       BRAIN TUMOR AWARENESS WEEK

 Mr. BIDEN. Mr. President, on Tuesday, Americans from around 
the country gathered here at the Capitol to hold a rally in conjunction 
with Brain Tumor Awareness Week. I want to add my voice to those 
calling attention to this debilitating disease and to the calls for 
continuing to increase our funding for medical research.
  It sounds wrong to call one debilitating disease more important than 
another. After all, a life-threatening disease is a life-threatening 
disease. However, as a society, we often get caught up in the rhetoric 
and publicity surrounding one of these terrible afflictions and forget 
that, unfortunately, there are a number of other terminal illnesses. 
While brain tumors do not receive as much press as other terminal 
illnesses, their impact on the lives of brain tumor patients and their 
families is equally devastating.
  One of those people is a constituent of mine, Ms. Kathy Delledonne-
Minutola. She and her husband attended the rally on Tuesday because, 
four years ago, their son Joseph was diagnosed with a brain stem tumor. 
The roots of the tumor have wrapped around Joseph's brain stem, a 
condition which makes removal of the tumor impossible.
  Mr. President, there are thousands of people across this country who 
have been diagnosed with brain tumors, just like Joseph. In fact, each 
year approximately 100,000 people in the United States are diagnosed 
with a brain

[[Page S11164]]

tumor. Brain tumors are the second leading cause of cancer death for 
children and young adults up to age 34, and they are one of the fastest 
growing causes of cancer death in the elderly.
  Furthermore, each patient is different, and potential for recovery 
depends on a number of factors. The type of tumor, its location, the 
area of the brain involved, and the forms of therapy the patient will 
receive all contribute to a patient's prognosis. Currently, there is no 
cure for most malignant brain tumors. Surgery, radiation therapy, and 
chemotherapy are the three most common treatments. However, because 
brain tumors are located at the control center for human thought, 
emotion, and movement, both the tumor and its treatment can have 
devastating effects on a person's physical and cognitive abilities.
  Despite often bleak projections for recovery, however, the community 
of people who have been affected by this disease has refused to give 
up. Their courage and support for one another in the face of tragedy is 
truly inspirational. They are proof that the power of the human spirit 
can triumph over adversity in even the darkest of moments.
  So, Mr. President, in this, Brain Tumor Awareness Week, I rise today 
to applaud the tireless commitment that brain tumor patients and their 
families have made to beating this disease. This is a remarkable group 
of people. However, they cannot take on the burden of finding a cure on 
their own. We in Congress need to help, and I look forward to working 
with my colleagues, as I have in the past, to support medical research 
funding. While Brain Tumor Awareness Week may only last seven days, our 
commitment to finding a cure must be a year-round endeavor.

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