[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 112 (Wednesday, July 31, 2013)]
[House]
[Page H5179]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   PANCREATIC CANCER AND BETSY KAPLAN

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to support cancer victims and 
also to honor a valiant leader in our community who turns 86 on August 
12--Betsy Kaplan.
  I will start by asking all of us to support the patients, the 
families, and victims of a special type of cancer--pancreatic cancer. 
Pancreatic cancer is the deadliest of all forms of cancer with a 5-year 
survival rate of just 6 percent. In 2013 alone, pancreatic cancer will 
affect 45,000 patients--73 percent of whom will die within 1 year of 
diagnosis. In my home State of Florida, it is estimated that out of the 
3,380 new cases, 2,770 people will die from this terrible disease.
  Last year, I was proud to help pass the Recalcitrant Cancer Research 
Act, a bill designed to turn around these horrible statistics. Mr. 
Speaker, we must continue to make survival from pancreatic cancer a 
priority, and I urge my colleagues to stand with us in this fight.
  A south Floridian who is involved in many worthwhile causes, whether 
they are related to improving the lives of others or fighting for 
better treatment for the disabled, is Betsy Kaplan. Betsy is a retired 
school board member from Miami-Dade County Public Schools. She served 
there for 16 years and has been recognized in our community for her 
notable achievements and contributions fostering arts education and 
student guidance in our public schools.
  With an unprecedented 47 years of professional experience in the 
education field, Betsy retired with many honors from her teaching 
career to spearheading the adoption of the tobacco-free schools policy 
and advocating for educational programs that cater to special needs 
students.
  A decorated award winner, Betsy has received numerous honors ranging 
from the Florida School Board's President's Award to being recognized 
as a Woman of Impact by the Community Coalition for Women's History. 
Most recently, Betsy received the Breaking the Glass Ceiling Award from 
the Jewish Museum of Florida at Florida International University.
  It is thanks to Betsy that the Miami-Dade school district is known as 
an outstanding model of public arts education in the Nation.
  As a former Florida certified teacher, I recognize Betsy's commitment 
to ensuring that our students get the quality education they deserve, 
and I thank Betsy for her exceptional efforts in creating opportunities 
for students to learn, to grow, and to succeed in their educational, 
social, and professional lives.
  So congratulations to Betsy Kaplan, and let us all keep up the fight 
to beat all types of cancer, especially pancreatic cancer.

                          ____________________