[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 54 (Tuesday, April 20, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E708-E709]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         IN HONOR OF THE 1ST ANNUAL DONOR AWARENESS BIKE-A-THON

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JAMES P. McGOVERN

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 20, 1999

  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in tribute to the 1st Annual 
Donor Awareness Bike-A-Thon which will occur on Sunday, April 25. This 
event, which consists of an eleven mile course around Lake 
Quinsigamond, will raise awareness and money for the University of 
Massachusetts Memorial Blood Donor Center, the HLA Registry Foundation, 
Inc., and The New England Organ Bank. Individuals and their families 
who have donated or received blood products, bone marrow and organ and 
tissue transplants will be there to bike for and/or lend their support 
to the issue of supply and demand for these ``Gifts of Life.''
  As we draw attention to this event, the 1st Annual Donor Awareness 
Bike-A-Thon, it is important to remember that every day in the United 
States fifteen individuals die for lack of an organ, ten die for lack 
of a compatible bone marrow match, and countless others are dependent 
upon blood transfusions.
  Therefore, Mr. Speaker, I proudly rise today to commend the 
organizers and participants of this event for their great efforts.

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