[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 10 (Tuesday, January 24, 2012)]
[House]
[Pages H126-H127]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            BYRON NASH LIVE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Al Green) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, this weekend, I, along with my 
colleague Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee attended an event in 
Houston, Texas. It was styled ``Byron Nash Live.'' This event was well 
attended. As I approached the venue, there were literally hundreds of 
people outside. Most of them were young people, and it was raining as I 
approached the venue. I did ask one of the young people if he was going 
to be able to go in, and I was told that there was an overflow crowd, 
that it was standing room only, and that as a result, he would have to 
stand outside. But he assured me that he would be there for the 
duration of the event. He was there for ``Byron Nash Live.''
  Byron Nash, a 24-year-old comedian, was giving a performance, if you 
will. This performance was attended by his mother, Gwen Nash; his 
father, Michael Nash; his grandfather and grandmother, Reverend James 
and Mrs. Nash as well. This event was a lively event. Byron received 
several standing ovations, and his life was spoken of throughout the 
entirety of the event.
  This, in a sense, may have been his last performance in the physical 
world, for you see, Byron Nash made his transition, and this was his 
home-going celebration. It was truly a celebration. There were many who 
did mourn his death, but we all were there to celebrate the life that 
he lived. His life, while it was short, was a meaningful life because 
the true measure of one's life is not how long one lives, but rather, 
what does one do with the time that God gives.

                              {time}  1130

  In his short lifetime, Byron Nash made a very positive impression on 
a lot of young people--a lot of older people as well. But I was proud 
to see so many young people in attendance, so many young people who 
were there to pay their last respects to a young man who lived a life 
that we were, of course, eager to celebrate.
  While his life is no longer in the physical world, we believe that 
his spiritual existence is one that we should celebrate continually, 
and we will remember him.
  There is good reason for his life to symbolize something, because he 
passed because of a rare type of cancer styled renal medullary 
carcinoma. As of 2009, there were 120 cases--I'm sure more since then, 
obviously more, but 120 cases. Victims of this type of cancer live 1 to 
7 months, thereabout. Not a lot of empirical evidence has been 
acquired. This type of cancer seems to attack those who suffer from 
sickle cell. If his life can mean something to those who still live and 
symbolize something as we go forward, it should be that we must do more 
to fight this type of cancer.

[[Page H127]]

  His grandfather has dedicated his life to a continuing effort to get 
the word out, get the message out that this type of cancer does claim 
the lives of young people. We can do more here in the Congress of the 
United States of America to help fight cancer in general and this 
specific type of cancer that is known to few. It is my hope that we 
will continue to allocate resources to fighting cancer such that this 
type of cancer can move to the front burner.
  We've got to do more to prevent, to educate, and to make sure that 
cancer becomes a disease of the past in our lifetimes. It is my hope 
that Byron Nash's life would become the genesis for us to do more to 
fight not only cancer in general but for this specific type of cancer 
known as renal medullary carcinoma.
  I will leave these words with all of those who are within the sound 
of my voice here and those who may be viewing at home, and especially 
to his family: I want you to know that we will do all that we can to 
make sure that he not only lived a decent life--as he did, and that is 
as recognized--but also that we will do all that we can to fight this 
dreadful disease and bring it to an end.

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