Schakowsky Statement in Support of Brain Tumor Awareness Month

SCHAKOWSKY STATEMENT IN SUPPORT OF
BRAIN TUMOR AWARENESS MONTH

Washington, D.C.--U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky, a member of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health, delivered the following statement on the House floor today in support of H. Res. 1124, a resolution to establish a National Brain Tumor Awareness Month"I want to express my gratitude to Chairman Dingell for his support in bringing this resolution to the floor today. I also want to thank Congressman Roskam for his support and cosponsorship of this resolution.

For me, the heart and soul behind the effort to establish a Brain Tumor Awareness Month has been the Lori Arquilla Andersen Foundation, which is in my home district in Illinois.

Many of us have been touched by cancer — my family included — but when Linda Magiera lost her precious daughter, Lori, to brain cancer in 2005, she made sure to continue her daughter's passion for life and desire to help others by creating the Lori Arquilla Andersen Foundation in her name.

Lori was diagnosed with Glioblastoma Multiforme stage 4 brain cancer, one of the most deadly, at the age of 33 — just 3 months after her wedding. She passed away 22 months to the day after her first of 5 surgeries. I am told by those who knew her that Lori was always upbeat, positive, courageous and smiling — the Lori Arquilla Andersen Foundation has exemplified that energy over the past few years.

They have made important strides in increasing awareness and raising funds for brain tumor research, but they are also responsible for bringing the issues that are important to the brain tumor community, as well as this resolution, to my attention. While the Andersen Foundation has managed to put a face on these issues for me, the larger Brain Tumor community has also done incredible work over the past decade. They have worked tirelessly to support people with brain tumors and their families, raise awareness of the disease and its effects, and to obtain resolutions from governors, state legislatures, city councils, and mayors in support of establishing a Brain Tumor Awareness Month in May.

Today, we take one giant step forward in advancing their cause. And it won't be a moment too soon. Over 44,500 people in the United States are diagnosed with a primary tumor in the brain or spine each year, and among children, brain tumors are the second most common cancer and comprise approximately 25% of all pediatric cancers. Although less prevalent than other cancers such as lung, breast or prostate cancer, brain tumors are in no way trivial for those who have them. Because they are located in the "control center... for thought, memory, emotion, sensation and movement, brain tumors have serious and at times, devastating effects on the lives of patients and their families. Brain tumors can change an individual's personality, their ability to communicate, and their ability to walk or see. Unfortunately, with over 126 different kinds of primary brain tumors, the development of effective treatments is uncommonly complicated. The five-year relative survival rate following diagnosis of a primary malignant brain tumor is about 30%. However, the average survival rate for patients with glioblastomas is less than 5% and most survive for only for 6-12 months.

We must continue to work towards finding a cure for this terrible disease — strong support for ongoing research is the answer — and increased awareness is first step in getting there. I am so pleased to be making progress on this resolution today, and with the recent Race for Hope, which was held on Sunday, May 4th here in Washington, D.C. and raised $1.62 million for brain tumor research, it is certainly timely.

Again, I want to thank Chairman Dingell and his staff for their hard work in bringing this resolution to the floor today....