[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 98 (Monday, June 23, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1047]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2015

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                           HON. LOIS FRANKEL

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 18, 2014

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the state of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 4870) making 
     appropriations for the Department of Defense for the fiscal 
     year ending September 30, 2015, and for other purposes:

  Ms. FRANKEL of Florida. Mr. Chair, I rise today to highlight an 
important provision that was included in H.R. 4870, the Department of 
Defense Appropriations Act of 2015, which could help my constituent, 
Debbie Zelman, along with thousands of others like her with stomach 
cancer.
  Five years ago, Debbie was diagnosed with Stage IV stomach cancer. 
While the doctor gave her only a 50/50 chance to live after one year, 
Debbie is still with us, fighting one of the deadliest forms of cancer.
  Debbie is not alone in her battle. Every year, 21,000 Americans are 
diagnosed with stomach cancer, and it is the second leading cause of 
cancer deaths for women in this country.
  To help Debbie and others affected by this horrible cancer, I, along 
with 57 of my colleagues, requested from the Appropriations Committee 
that stomach cancer research become eligible for funding through the 
Defense Department's Peer Reviewed Research Program (PRCRP) for 2015.
  The PRCRP funds research into eleven cancer types, including blood 
cancer, colorectal cancer, and pancreatic cancer. Adding stomach cancer 
to the list of eligible diseases could make an enormous difference in 
understanding this under-researched cancer, including its array of risk 
factors and causes.
  I'm proud that the House Defense Appropriations bill includes report 
language to allow stomach cancer research to be funded through this 
Research Program. I look forward to working with my colleagues to 
ensure that the Senate passes this important language as well.
  By taking this step, we will be able to better understand this deadly 
disease, and, hopefully, get closer to finding a much-needed cure.

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