[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 46 (Tuesday, March 20, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E395]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   HONORING DR. BERNARD SIEGEL FOR HIS CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE COMMUNITY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ROSA L. DeLAURO

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, March 20, 2012

  Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, it is my privilege to stand today to join 
the many family, friends, colleagues and community members who have 
gathered to pay tribute to an outstanding member of our community and 
my good friend, Dr. Bernard Siegel, as he is honored by the Connecticut 
Children's Center of Hamden. Bernie, an Oncologist who earned national 
and international acclaim for his focus on the correlation between a 
patient's emotional state and the healing process, has not only brought 
a powerful voice to patient empowerment, but has also devoted much of 
his time to supporting local organizations like the Children's Center 
of Hamden. His work has touched countless lives around the world and I 
am honored to have this opportunity to join our community in 
recognizing his remarkable career and invaluable contributions.
  Bernie has dedicated a lifetime to teaching those facing the most 
difficult of life's challenges about the healing power they hold within 
themselves. Well before its time, Bernie recognized that the better a 
patient was able to cope with the emotional complexities of health 
issues, the more improved their overall health outcome was--the mind-
body connection. Upon this simple, yet innovative idea, Bernie has 
built a distinguished career. He is the founder of ECaP, an individual 
and group therapy program for recovering cancer patients, the author of 
twelve books which have been invaluable resources to patients and loved 
ones alike, and retired from Yale-New Haven Hospital as the Assistant 
Clinical Professor of General and Pediatric Surgery.
  I would be remiss if I did not extend a personal note of thanks to 
Bernie for his many years of special friendship and counsel. During my 
tenure in Congress, I have focused much of my attention on health 
issues and I have often sought Bernie's expertise and guidance. He has 
always made himself available, proving to be a wealth of knowledge on 
even the most complex of matters. I, like so many others, consider 
myself fortunate to call him my friend.
  Physician, author, advocate, mentor, community leader, and friend, 
Dr. Bernard Siegel has changed the face of how we view the relationship 
between the patient and the healing process. His compassion and 
generosity has also gone a long way in helping those most in need in 
our community. For his many invaluable contributions, I am proud to 
rise today to join the Children's Center of Hamden and all of those who 
have gathered in extending my deepest thanks and appreciation to Bernie 
Siegel as well as my very best wishes to him, his wife, Bobbie, and 
their five children and eight grandchildren for many more years of 
health and happiness.

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