[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 138 (Tuesday, December 7, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2195]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page E2195]]
                            BAT FOR THE CURE

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. ANTHONY D. WEINER

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 7, 2004

  Mr. WEINER. Mr. Speaker, each year, about 33,000 Americans die from 
prostate cancer and 256,000 are diagnosed for the first time. Aside 
from lung cancer, the disease kills more men than any other form of 
cancer.
  On November 8, 1999, Ed Rendell, one of the country's foremost 
baseball authorities, was diagnosed with prostate cancer. Early 
detection and the care of doctors like Nicholas Romas at St. Luke's-
Roosevelt Hospital Center in New York City saved Ed's life.
  In late 2002, Ed founded Bat for the Cure, a non-profit charity 
dedicated to the eradication of prostate cancer. With its prominent 
Board of Directors, including Bob Costas, Mario Cuomo, Len Elmore, 
Kathy Giusti and John Hennessy III, the charity has raised hundreds of 
thousands of dollars to fight the disease.
  The organization has also enlisted well-known sports stars who are 
joining in the fight, such as Dustin Baker, Frank Robinson, Tom McCraw, 
Bob Watson, Don Baylor, Dave Winfield, and Rafael Palmeiro. Many of 
these celebrities have personal experiences with the tragedy of cancer.
  Fortunately, prostate cancer is one of the slowest growing cancers, 
so proper detection and treatment can save lives. With Bat for the 
Cure's support, St. Luke's-Roosevelt, the hospital that saved Ed 
Randell's life, is now helping many other cancer patients become 
survivors.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to make prostate cancer research 
and early detection a national health care priority. Congress should 
act without delay to double prostate cancer research funding at the 
National Institute of Health, fully fund the National Cancer Institute, 
and save prostate cancer research at the Veterans' Administration.

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