On Thursday afternoon, Congressman Tim Kennedy welcomed Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz to the Roswell Community Outreach and Engagement Center in Buffalo, where both called for passage of three bills they say will bring a greater investment to cancer research, screening, education, and prevention.
Kennedy says the two biggest obstacles that they face right now are funding and access. He added that the focus is on providing hope and a future to families who are affected by the disease.
"Many, if not all of us, have a family member, a loved one, a friend, a neighbor who we've lost to cancer," said Kennedy. "These three bills, which I'm proud to join the congresswoman in supporting, give hope for a future where more memories are made, lifespans are extended, and the scourge of cancer is a thing of the past."
Kennedy says the bills, if passed, would result in greater access to early screening and risk-reducing surgeries, and address lasting health challenges that survivors could potentially face. He also emphasized the importance of investing in this mission and what it means for families across Western New York.
“Every dollar of federal, state, and private funds that go into Roswell and its peer institutions across the nation brings us one discovery closer to a world without cancer. That's what we are all fighting for. That's why we are here today, it means families who have more precious years with their loved ones, patients who can continue to live their fullest lives, and future generations of children that will never have to know the fear and heartbreak of this devastating disease,” said Kennedy.
Congresswoman Wasserman Schultz, who represents Florida’s 25th District, is a breast cancer survivor herself and shared her own personal journey through those difficult years.
"I have made it my mission to make sure that I could take my experience, which I battled privately while serving in Congress, and turn it into the use of my platform and the profile that I have to help make sure that as many people as we can help ensure we catch cancer early." she said. "If you're going to battle it, make sure that you make the kinds of choices that will help you ward off cancer. Because I can tell you, as someone who used to eat peanut M&M's and drink a full Coke for breakfast, maybe, though, it wasn't the healthiest choice in terms of what I put in my body, I didn't think about any of that until after I was a cancer survivor. So if I can do it, anybody can, but it is almost 18 years ago now, almost 19 years ago, that I heard the devastating words, 'you have cancer.' I was 41 years old."
She says that a cancer patient’s journey doesn’t end with the final round of chemotherapy or radiation. The proposed legislation would provide the resources to ensure that.
The three bills are the Lainie Jones Comprehensive Cancer Survivorship Act, which focuses on helping people after cancer treatment by improving long-term survivorship care; the EARLY Reauthorization Act, which renews and expands a breast cancer education and awareness program; and the Reducing Hereditary Cancer Act, which improves access to genetic testing and preventive care for hereditary cancers.
