[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 91 (Wednesday, June 4, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1143]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     A TRIBUTE TO DR. RANDY PAUSCH

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. LUCILLE ROYBAL-ALLARD

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 4, 2008

  Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Dr. 
Randy Pausch, a courageous and charismatic Carnegie Mellon professor 
with pancreatic cancer, who has chosen to dedicate his last months to 
raising congressional awareness about the importance of research for 
this deadly disease.
  Dr. Pausch is an award winning educator, researcher, and computer 
scientist at Carnegie Mellon University. Considered one of the Nation's 
foremost teachers of virtual-reality technology, he helped develop a 
software program called ``Alice'' that encourages kids, particularly 
young girls, to become interested in programming. This 47-year-old 
husband and father of three young children became accidentally famous 
when his motivational Last Lecture at Carnegie Mellon was leaked onto 
the Internet and inspired more than six million people.
  Dr. Pausch is the epitome of a professor--never turning away from an 
opportunity to educate others. In his Last Lecture, which he titled 
``How to Really Achieve Your Childhood Dreams,'' he gives wise advice 
on how to accomplish even those seemingly impossible childhood wishes, 
and ultimately, how to live a full and happy life. Most importantly, 
this lecture was an opportunity for Dr. Pausch to leave a message for 
his children that he will not live to tell them himself.
  I had the good fortune to meet Dr. Pausch in January of this year 
when he came with the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network to advocate for 
a National Plan to Advance Pancreatic Cancer Research. This research is 
critical given the disturbing statistics showing that only five percent 
of pancreatic cancer patients remain alive after 5 years of diagnosis. 
According to Dr. Pausch, he is a ``rock star'' because he has been 
living with a disease for over 8 months that claims the lives of most 
patients within 4 to 6 months of diagnosis. While the survival rates 
for this lethal disease have remained fairly constant over the last 30 
years, few resources have been dedicated to researching new treatments.
  With what little time he has left, Dr. Pausch is doing his best to 
make a meaningful contribution to pancreatic cancer research. In 
addition to coming to lobby Congress in January, Dr. Pausch returned on 
March 13 to testify before the House Subcommittee on Labor, Health and 
Human Services, and Education during the public witness hearings. 
Although he will not benefit from the awareness he is raising for this 
disease, he has taken time to educate Congress about this disease and 
ask us to take the necessary steps to begin to change the horrifying 
statistics.
  A man who believes in honesty above all else, Dr. Pausch does not 
sugarcoat his situation. In spite of his prognosis, he continues to see 
himself as a ``Tigger'' instead of an ``Eeyore.'' He sees each day as 
another opportunity to impact the lives of others and to share his sage 
advice about living. He encourages us to ``always wait for people to 
show their good side, no matter how long it takes.'' He challenges us 
to ``never give up'' and to ``remember that brick walls are there to 
make you realize how badly you want something.'' Faced with the 
seemingly insurmountable brick wall of pancreatic cancer, Randy seizes 
every opportunity to create precious memories with his wife, Jai, and 
their three young children: Dylan, 6, Logan, 3, and Chloe who is almost 
2.
  As a Member of the House Appropriations Committee, I have had the 
privilege of meeting many impressive people--but Dr. Pausch has been 
one of the most memorable. My hope is that he will be able to continue 
to delay the progress of the disease and that his days of good health 
will continue. Most of all, I hope that Dr. Pausch and his family know 
that he is an inspiration to us all. Through his lecture and his 
advocacy, he has not only left behind a legacy for his children, but 
for the millions of people he has touched with his story.

                          ____________________