[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 13]
[House]
[Page 18009]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                         CHILDHOOD CANCER MONTH

  (Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Madam Speaker, when we think of a day in the life 
of a child, we may immediately think of toys, playgrounds, and 
laughter. Rarely, if ever, do chemotherapy, hospitalization, and blood 
transfusions come to mind.
  Yet, the harsh reality is that they will become just a routine part 
of the day for the well over 12,000 children who will become victims of 
cancer this year.
  Cancer is the number one killer of children, and its incidence has 
been rising every year for the past 20 years.
  Alexander Zimmerman, the 4-year-old son of my district director, is 
currently fighting a rare form of a brain tumor.
  And we cannot forget Caroline, the daughter of our colleague the 
gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Pryce), who recently passed away from her 
battle with neuroblastoma.
  Pediatric oncology remains underrecognized and underserved, which is 
why Congress should fund what could be the largest children's oncology 
facility in the Nation, the University of Miami's Batchelor Children's 
Center.
  We believe that if Congress does its part, things like playgrounds, 
toys, and laughter will once again become the daily routine.
  We should also fund graduate medical education for pediatric 
hospitals, such as Miami Children's Hospital, which trains our Nation's 
leading pediatric oncologists.
  This September, as we commemorate Childhood Cancer Month, I urge my 
colleagues to fund efforts toward pediatric cancer research because 
every child's life is precious.

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