For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
June 1, 2001
Remarks by the President at "Race for the Cure®" Event
The East Room
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9:12 A.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you, First
Lady. (Laughter.) Thank you all for
coming. It's kind of a raucous crowd here in the White
House. (Laughter.) But for a reason. There's a
lot of joy here. I'm so honored to be here with Nancy and
the Secretary of Health and Human Services, Tommy Thompson. I want to
thank Congressman Ken Bentsen, who is here, I believe. And I
certainly want to thank Jo Dee Messina for lending your talents.
It's my honor to welcome you to the White
House. Your great movement represents hope for cancer
victims and hope for cancer's cures. And I can't tell you
how honored we are to have you here. Many of
you play key roles in the fight against breast cancer, beginning with
our dear friend, Ambassador-designee Nancy Brinker -- (applause) -- the
founder of the Komen Foundation, which during the last 20 years has
become the largest private funder of breast cancer research and
community outreach in the nation. You've raised over $400
million to support breast cancer research, education, screening and
treatment. (Applause.)
I want to thank those of you who are
participating in tomorrow's Race for the Cure. I wish I was
running. (Laughter.)
Q Come on out! (Laughter.)
THE PRESIDENT: Well, talk to the
Secret Service. (Laughter.) Plus I'm a little
older than the last time I ran. (Laughter.)
Less than 20 years ago, the first Komen Race
for the Cure was held in Dallas,
Texas. (Applause.) Eight hundred people
participated in that race, and we raised $130,000. This year
there will be 115 races across the country and around the world,
involving 1.3 million participants. (Applause.) Last year
alone, the National Race for the Cure in Washington, D.C. raised more
than $3 million. (Applause.)
The great thing about this race is you're not
running for time, running for ribbons -- you're running to save
lives. And America is grateful. (Applause.)
Laura and I want to recognize those of you in
the audience who have had breast cancer. We appreciate your
courage. You've endured, and many of you are still
undergoing, one of life's toughest and most terrifying
struggles. In your suffering you have demonstrated dignity
and determination, grit and grace, courage and
character. And through your fight against cancer you have
become witnesses to the power of hope. (Applause.)
Lisa Rodriguez has endured that struggle and
cherishes that hope. Lisa is here with us today -- I had the honor of
meeting her this morning. She says her cancer diagnosis taught her how
important time was, and how important finding a cure
is. Since then, she's been focused on beating cancer and
working to make sure others have the support and information they need
to fight and to win.
Like Lisa, most of you did not fight your
battle alone. You've had the support of your
families. They've suffered with you; they have remained
faithful in their love for you; and we want to thank them, as
well. (Applause.)
Breast cancer, as you know, is the second most
common type of cancer amongst women in the United
States. Every three minutes brings a new case. Every 13
minutes brings another death from breast cancer. Yet, we
also live in a profoundly hopeful time. Fewer women are
dying of breast cancer each year. Awareness about breast
cancer has never been greater. We've made progress in early
detection and screening; we're seeing better and more effective
treatment. New drugs offer exciting
possibilities. And we are gathering a wealth of information
about how cancer works at its most basic molecular level.
We have just received the 2001 cancer
statistics from the Public Health Service. It shows that
breast cancer death rates declined an average of 3.4 percent between
1995 and 1998. That's more than double the rate of decline
-- (applause.)
There are still many high medical hurdles that
need to be cleared, and we have enough experience with cancer to know
that we'll suffer some disappointments and setbacks along the
way. But for the first time in human history, we can say
with some measure of confidence that the war on cancer is
winnable. (Applause.)
With this hope comes
responsibility. Now is the time to bolster our
efforts. We'll increase funding at the National Institutes
of Health by $2.8 billion in 2002. (Applause.)
We must continue to raise awareness about the
importance of early detection and increased access to screening
services. We need to close the treatment gap between
research discoveries and treatment options, so that cancer victims have
access to the latest technology. (Applause.)
I want to thank Secretary Tommy Thompson for
his efforts to encourage states to provide Medicaid coverage to
low-income women diagnosed with breast
cancer. (Applause.) I'm committed to passing a
strong patients' bill of rights this year to provide women with needed
access to life-saving clinical trials and medical specialists.
I hope -- I believe -- and I pray that we're
on the verge of great victories against cancer. You've seen
the great victories already, in the lives of many people in this room.
Every survivor of cancer is a defeat for
cancer and a triumph for faith and courage and hope. We will
not rest until our victory against breast cancer is complete.
I want to thank you all for your good work,
your courage, and have a great race. (Applause.)
END
9:19 A.M. EDT
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