[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 11]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 14552]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     RECOGNIZING MEN'S HEALTH WEEK

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                     HON. RANDY ``DUKE'' CUNNINGHAM

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 11, 2003

  Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Mr. Speaker, on May 10, 1972 I flew my 300th mission 
over North Vietnam. I shot down three MIGs that day to become the first 
Ace of the Vietnam War. Shortly after my third kill, I was hit by enemy 
fire and forced to eject along with my backseat, Willie Driscoll. As we 
parachuted down into enemy territory, I did not know whether I was 
going to live, die, or possibly be taken as a prisoner of war. It was 
indeed the scariest moment in my life--until the day my doctor looked 
me in the eye and told me that I had cancer.
  I am one of thousands of men who was diagnosed following a simple 
prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test. During my annual examination in 
the summer of 1998, my doctor noted a slight elevation in my PSA test. 
He followed up with a sonogram and an MRI, neither of which revealed 
the disease. It was only after a prostate biopsy that it was determined 
that I had cancer. Following the diagnosis, in consultation with my 
family, I decided to pursue surgery as my treatment option. I am 
fortunate--early detection saved my life. My doctor was familiar with 
PSA results, and I had healthcare coverage for my treatments. Early 
detection and treatment meant the difference between life and death.
  This year, 198,100 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer and 
31,500 will die from this terrible disease. But prostate cancer is only 
a small component of the men's health crisis: Men have a higher death 
rate than women do for every single one of the ten leading causes of 
death in this country. We're twice as likely to die of heart disease--
the number one killer--and 40 percent more likely to die of cancer. 
Life expectancy has been longer for women than for men for several 
decades. Sadly, the largest part of the problem is that men do not take 
particularly good care of themselves. Only one-half of all men have 
received preventative health care services in the past year.
  I am proud to work with the Men's Health Network to raise awareness 
regarding the need for regular health screenings, and it is an honor 
for me to host the annual men's health screenings on Capitol Hill. I 
urge my colleagues to visit the screenings, and to help me raise 
awareness about the fact that screenings like these can save lives.

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