[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 147 (Monday, October 20, 2003)]
[House]
[Page H9690]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     PAYING TRIBUTE TO DR. NAT COBB

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the order of the House of 
January 7, 2003, the gentleman from New Mexico (Mr. Udall) is 
recognized during morning hour debates for 5 minutes.
  Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to 
one of my constituents, Dr. Nat Cobb of Corrales, New Mexico. I want to 
congratulate Nat on his participation in the Lance Armstrong Tour of 
Hope which concluded this past weekend here in the Nation's capital.
  Nat Cobb was chosen to ride across the country with 25 other riders 
and cycling champion Lance Armstrong. This amazing team of riders rode 
for 7 days from Los Angeles to Washington, DC, covering 120 miles per 
day per rider. They rode during the day and during the night. The Tour 
of Hope team climbed mountains and crossed rivers and reached 
communities across America to inspire millions and share the importance 
of cancer research. They used this ride to share their personal stories 
to help raise awareness about the need for cancer patients to 
participate in clinical trials so that we might achieve cures more 
quickly. Participation is of crucial importance to finding a cure. If 
clinical trials are not performed on new drugs, these drugs will not be 
available to those afflicted with cancer.
  Nat's personal story is especially important to New Mexico and all 
Native Americans. Nat Cobb is actively engaged in making cancer 
screenings and clinical trials available to Indian populations all over 
the country. He has worked with a number of hospitals and clinics to 
enroll patients in trials and to educate people about preventing cancer 
through programs on tobacco control and life-style changes. He was an 
excellent choice to ride in the Tour of Hope.
  I also want to say how proud I was to ride alongside Nat and Lance 
Armstrong this past weekend as the Tour of Hope concluded in 
Washington, DC. I was honored to join them along the final stretches of 
the journey and am pleased to have lent my support to their efforts 
which are so important to Native Americans suffering from cancer.
  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to help them spread the word that we can do 
more here in Congress to help them as well. For one, we can fund 
research programs to help increase awareness about clinical trials so 
that more adults participate in clinical drug trials. Nearly 85 percent 
of children participate in some type of drug trial, but less than 10 
percent of adults do. I am hopeful that by raising awareness through 
the Tour of Hope, Lance Armstrong, Nat Cobb, and other team members and 
Bristol Meyers Squibb and others can achieve this important goal of 
finding cures more quickly for all types of cancer.

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