[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 174 (Friday, December 14, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2297]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      PAYING TRIBUTE TO BOB PARKS

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. SCOTT McINNIS

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, December 13, 2001

  Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to 
recognize an extraordinary man who has repeatedly defied the odds and 
has embodied the spirit of my district in Colorado. The man I am 
referring to is Bob Parks and the odds he defied was whether he would 
live or die. Bob suffers from cancer and by all accounts, he should not 
be with us today.
  Bob has much to be grateful for these days. Over a year ago, he was 
diagnosed with a cancerous tumor in his lung. Relying on an oxygen 
bottle, Bob was given little hope for recovery. Following a turn for 
the worse and with no salvation in sight, Bob learned of a clinic in 
Tijuana, Mexico that specialized in alternative medicines. He arrived 
last December and fell into a coma soon after arrival. His prognosis 
was grim and friends and family in Durango were informed yet again that 
his life was in jeopardy.
  Bob held on, and with hope and prayer, he has unexpectedly recovered 
his strength and continues to defy his illness. Residents of Durango, 
Colorado, recently collected funds to fly Bob home for a visit and 
noted, in an article in the Durango Herald, that he looks stronger than 
ever and his recovery is nothing short of a miracle. Bob, who is a 
former psychology professor at Fort Lewis College and a greeter for the 
Wal-Mart, believes his recovery is due in part to an optimistic 
attitude and prayer from his family and friends.
  Mr. Speaker, we hear everyday stories of survival, hardship, and 
recently terror. It's gratifying at this time in our nation's struggle 
that a story unfolds about a man unwilling to give up his most 
cherished gift, his life. As so many suffer in this nation and around 
the world, let some of these people look to Bob Parks as a model to 
never give up on life, no matter what the odds faced. It is an honor to 
tell his story to this body and Congress and I wish him the best in the 
coming new year.

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