[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 54 (Tuesday, March 31, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E832]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     BUD SHUSTER PROMOTES WELLNESS

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. TIM MURPHY

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, March 31, 2009

  Mr. TIM MURPHY of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, our former colleague, 
Bud Shuster has taken on a new challenge to promote wellness through 
his central Pennsylvania region. As a trustee at Saint Francis 
University in Loretto, PA, he's spearheading the creation of Community 
Wellness Fairs through the exciting new DiSepio Institute for Rural 
Health and Wellness located at the university.
  The extraordinary story of Bud's survival and recovery from a broken 
neck and other injuries suffered in a car crash several years ago 
recently appeared in the Altoona Mirror, and I'm pleased to insert it 
into the Record:

                           Run For Your Life

               (By Congressman Bud Shuster, M.C. (Ret.))

       Twenty-seven years ago on my way to a Rotary speech in 
     Altoona a speeding car swerved around the bend on a rain-
     slicked road and smashed head-on into our car where I was a 
     front seat passenger. The crash broke my neck and six ribs. 
     The neurosurgeon who put me back together said I was less 
     than a millimeter away from being a paraplegic. If I had not 
     been wearing my seatbelt I would have been killed.
       He also said if I had not been in shape through my daily 
     running and weightlifting regimen, I might not have survived 
     the multiple, lengthy, and delicate surgeries required.
       But within a year I was back running and working out, and 
     now in my seventies, I'm still feeling great, running and 
     working out every day.
       So it's probably no surprise that I'm thrilled to 
     participate in a wonderful new opportunity that is being 
     created to promote our health and well-being right here in 
     our region.
       The DiSepio Institute for Rural Health and Wellness will be 
     formally dedicated next month at Saint Francis University in 
     Loretto, Pa. as part of the university's Health Sciences 
     Program thanks to the generosity of Joseph and Marguerite 
     DiSepio, with whom I have the privilege of serving on the 
     Board of Trustees.
       The multi-million dollar institute, designed by the 
     architectural firm of Celli-Flynn Brennan, and being built by 
     Leonard S. Fiore, Inc., is dedicated to improving medical 
     technology and wellness opportunities, not only on campus, 
     but also throughout the region and across America. It 
     includes a world-class fitness center for training, teaching 
     and research, as well as human performance, cardiovascular-
     metabolic, and kinesiology/biomechanical labs. A Faculty-
     Student Practice in health and behavioral sciences, along 
     with a conference center and spiritual wellness center also 
     are included. In short, it will be a premier facility of its 
     kind in America.
       The challenge now is to capitalize on this wonderful 
     endeavor by carrying its message to promote a healthy 
     lifestyle throughout the communities of our region.
       So, the university in cooperation with private funding is 
     creating ``The Bud Shuster Run For Your Life Program'' to 
     which I have happily agreed to lend my name and effort.
       The purpose will be to take the program into our 
     communities, our schools, service clubs, senior centers, 
     health facilities and other organizations to promote wellness 
     through gatherings and events including running, jogging, 
     walking and other fitness challenges, coupled with health 
     screenings such as blood pressure, asthma, body fat, posture, 
     etc.
       But a fitness program is only half the wellness story. Dr. 
     Kenneth Cooper, considered the father of aerobics, writes 
     that no amount of exercising can make up for bad nutrition or 
     obesity. A cholesterol reading of 240 triples your odds of 
     having a heart attack compared to a reading below 200, and a 
     systolic blood pressure of 160 quadruples the chance of a 
     heart attack compared with one below 120. At his Cooper 
     Clinic in Dallas, Texas, he focuses on a lifetime ``Positive 
     Eating Plan'' or PEP. There's nothing fancy about it, and the 
     Saint Francis Wellness Program pretty much follows it: 
     limiting animal fats, sugar, alcohol, and paying attention to 
     calories. It's taken me half a lifetime to find, through 
     trial and error, a PEP plan that works for me, and hopefully 
     the Saint Francis Wellness Program can work for you.
       We're delighted that the Hollidaysburg Area YMCA, under the 
     leadership of Tom Kopriva, has agreed to team-up with us for 
     the inaugural Community Wellness Fair on Saturday, April 25th 
     at the Hollidaysburg Y.
       Starting with the race at 8 AM, it will be a fun-filled day 
     to promote healthy kids and families. Professionals from the 
     university's DiSepio Institute for Rural Health and Wellness 
     will be providing health screenings and sessions including 
     healthy eating, sports injury prevention and physical 
     activity recommendations. A healthy Kids Day will include 
     sports activities led by the university's football, 
     basketball and soccer teams.
       I'm thrilled to provide a friendly challenge to young and 
     old alike--to join me on Saturday, April 25th, in running or 
     walking and participating in this exciting Community Wellness 
     Fair. There will be prizes for everyone. But the best prize 
     will be a long and healthy life.

                          ____________________