[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 10]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 14426-14427]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




   SEPTEMBER IS NATIONAL CHILDHOOD CANCER AWARENESS MONTH: HONORING 
                         HYUNDAI HOPE ON WHEELS

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. MIKE KELLY

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 16, 2015

  Mr. KELLY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, today, I rise to observe 
National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, and in doing so I wish to 
recognize Hyundai Hope on Wheels, a leading contributor to pediatric 
cancer research and the fight to permanently end childhood cancer.
  Hope on Wheels has one wish--and it is one that I share as both a 
father and a grandfather: to help kids fight and beat cancer so that 
each and every child can live a long, healthy, and joyous life.
  Each year, approximately 15,780 children and adolescents are 
diagnosed with cancer. Even with all of the advances in modern 
medicine, cancer is still the leading cause of death by disease among 
children in the United States. It does not discriminate among its 
victims; any child can become afflicted no matter how young or how 
small. It affects children from each gender and all nationalities, 
religions, and socio-economic backgrounds. In most tragic fact, a child 
is diagnosed with cancer every 36 minutes. No one and no family is 
immune from this devastating disease. But there is hope.
  Blessedly, modern medical research and treatments have greatly 
improved the survival rate for children with cancer. As of 2010, there 
were approximately 380,000 childhood cancer survivors living across our 
country. This dramatic improvement is a result of an increased quality 
of care, early detection, and advances in innovative research--along 
with a growing wellspring of financial support beneath it all.

[[Page 14427]]

  Hyundai Hope on Wheels is leading the way with its commitment to 
cancer research. In its 17th year of battling childhood cancer, Hope on 
Wheels will award $10.5 million in research grants to hospitals across 
the United States during this September, National Childhood Cancer 
Awareness Month. Hope on Wheels has been investing in pediatric cancer 
research since 1998, and this month they will surpass $100 million in 
lifetime funding to this critical cause.
  I express my most heartfelt congratulations and gratitude to everyone 
at Hyundai who has made this wonderful investment in our children a 
powerful reality.
  This year, one of Hyundai Hope on Wheels' grants will be awarded to 
Pennsylvania's own Dr. James Anthony Graves at the Children's Hospital 
of Pittsburgh of UPMC, where he is researching neuroblastoma, the most 
common extracranial pediatric tumor. This award and others will allow 
doctors like Dr. Graves to continue to work on life-saving cancer 
therapies and new treatments for children in Pennsylvania and across 
our country.
  Mr. Speaker, for working to improve the survival rate of our nation's 
children tragically diagnosed with cancer, I ask that my colleagues 
join with me today in recognizing the heroic work of Hyundai Hope on 
Wheels. Committed to winning the fight against pediatric cancer, this 
extraordinary organization is providing generations of American 
children with the hope of a healthy future.

                          ____________________