[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 10]
[House]
[Page 13356]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    PEDIATRIC CANCER AWARENESS MONTH

  (Mr. RODNEY DAVIS of Illinois asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. RODNEY DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize 
the month of September as Pediatric Cancer Awareness Month.
  Pediatric cancer is the leading cause of disease-related deaths for 
children in the United States--43 are diagnosed with cancer every day.
  While many adult cancers can be diagnosed early, pediatric cancers 
are more difficult to detect. In 80 percent of children, the cancer 
will have already spread to other parts of the body by the time of 
diagnosis.
  For the children who do survive, their battle doesn't end. Ninety-
five percent of childhood cancer survivors will develop chronic health 
conditions. Despite these facts, only 4 percent of the National Cancer 
Institute's funding goes toward pediatric cancer. Since 1990, only 10 
drugs have been developed to treat pediatric cancer, compared to over 
200 for adults.
  My friend, Jonny Wade, is one of the many faces of pediatric cancer. 
Last Christmas Eve, his year-long battle with brain cancer tragically 
ended, but our fight to eradicate this disease has only begun.
  Mr. Speaker, his parents, John and Kimberly Wade, sat in the gallery 
right in front of me when the President talked about his moonshot to 
eradicate cancer.
  Mr. Speaker, 4 percent is not enough. I will continue to fight to get 
more than 4 percent, not for Jonny, but for his wish that no other kid 
should have cancer.

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