[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 73 (Friday, May 21, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E938]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               HONORING THE MEMORY OF ABIGAIL BURKE IRWIN

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. TIMOTHY H. BISHOP

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 20, 2004

  Mr. BISHOP of New York. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Abigail 
Burke Irwin. Abigail Burke Irwin has been called a fighter, an 
inspiration, ``a one-woman community.'' I knew her because she was my 
wife's sister, the mother of my two nephews, and the wife of my friend 
and colleague Burke Irwin. In her short life of 46 years, Abby touched 
the lives of many people and made an indelible mark. But it was in her 
last 13 years when she struggled so valiantly against breast cancer 
that she truly came into her own.
  She refused against all odds to give up her fight for life. But more 
importantly, she used the time she was given to reach out and help 
others who were also suffering. She packed more into her short life 
than most people who live to be twice her age. She started a breast 
cancer support group and founded a local chapter of an advocacy group 
for Asperger's Syndrome. She was an active and involved mother and 
community member. Saddled with mounting medical bills for constant 
chemotherapy and surgeries, she made wooden furniture to sell, and 
later, when she was too weak, she created jewelry and other crafts.
  In the end, she willed herself to live, right up to several days 
before her death on April 29, 2004, when she rallied her family to a 
back-yard picnic on one of the first warm spring days. She wore a 
bright red hat and coat--red was her favorite color--and she seemed so 
happy to be alive and in the midst of her loving family.
  Breast cancer affects so many lives. It is the leading cause of 
cancer deaths for women worldwide. We must be determined to continue 
the fight for increased access to health care and prevention for all 
women, for continued funding of breast cancer research and for 
extending Medicare to cover all cancer drugs.
  Abby Irwin spent much of her precious time and energy dealing with a 
flawed health care system, trying to keep ahead of her bills, 
struggling with the complexities and inadequacies of health insurance. 
We could not save her life, but hopefully we can save other women from 
having to deal with the difficulties she faced.
  Abby was a fighter, but she never fought only for herself. She always 
reached out to help others struggling with life's difficulties. Ever 
the optimist, Abby never liked to report just the bad news. She always 
added something good. The bad news for her many friends and family 
members is that Abby has left us. The good news is that because of her 
strength and courage, her legacy--and her fight--will live on.

                          ____________________