[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 141 (Wednesday, October 8, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2021]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO NANCY VANMATRE

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. SCOTT McINNIS

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, October 8, 2003

  Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, it is an honor for me to stand here before 
you today and pay tribute to a remarkable citizen from my district. 
Nancy VanMatre of Pagosa Springs, Colorado, has defied the odds and 
overcome cancer three times over the past eight years. It is my 
privilege to recount her story before this body of Congress and this 
Nation, for her determination and loving spirit are truly an 
inspiration to us all.
  Nancy and her husband Harry relocated to the Pagosa Springs area nine 
years ago upon retirement from their careers in New York. After a few 
years of enjoying their retirement, Nancy was diagnosed with breast 
cancer. Over the course of the next six years, Nancy would undergo 
three major operations targeting cancer in her breast and her two 
lungs. Suffering from acute care myopathy and neuropathy, Nancy 
eventually returned home too weak to move her body.
  As she began to regain consciousness, she set out a list of goals; 
the final one was summiting V-Rock Mountain. A year and a half later, 
she had accomplished everything on her list, including hiking the 
mountain, and began to set her sights on new goals. Nancy has come so 
far on her road to recovery that her new focus is now set on helping 
other cancer victims to see that there is hope; that they too can 
overcome the disease and continue on with their lives.
  Mr. Speaker, I commend Nancy for her courage to battle the cancer 
that threatened her life; she never gave up and her success should 
serve as an example to others faced with difficult odds. It is truly an 
honor to pay tribute to this remarkable woman before you today. Nancy, 
you are an inspiration to us all.

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