Pryce Receives “Champion of Women’s Health Award”from Health Care Advocacy Groups

June 24, 2008

Pryce Joins Pediatric Cancer Patients, Survivors and Families to Promote
Childhood Cancer Funding, Awareness

CureSearch’s Reach the Day Conquer Childhood Cancer Reception Salutes Pryce’s Career-Long Commitment to Pediatric Cancer

Washington , DC – Last night, Congresswoman Deborah Pryce (R-Columbus) reunited with children with pediatric cancer from all across America at an annual event in Washington to raise awareness of the funding imperatives for childhood cancer research. Hundreds of people, including child cancer patients and survivors, their families and friends, as well as health care professionals, oncologists, and cancer advocates from all across the U.S. took to Capitol Hill to advocate for greater federal resources in the fight against pediatric cancer.

At the event, Pryce was honored for her leadership on issues impacting pediatric cancer, and most notably for her success in the recent House passage of the Caroline Pryce Walker Conquer Childhood Cancer Act, legislation to dramatically increase federal investment in childhood cancer research. The bill was renamed for Pryce’s daughter, Caroline, who lost her courageous battle with cancer nine years ago. The reception was sponsored by CureSearch -- the advocacy arm of Children's Oncology Group (COG), the world's premier pediatric cancer research collaborative.

Said Pryce at the reception, “Last week in Congress, we achieved a remarkable victory. We took a massive, affirmative step forward toward a goal universally shared by all of humanity – the eradication of pediatric cancer from our world. A very possible world in which the number one killer of children by disease is relegated to the history books, alongside polio, whooping cough, and mumps. A world in which an additional 12,000 children every year can focus on school, family and friends – and not on chemotherapy treatments, IV bags, and blood work.”

Pryce encouraged the audience to turn their attention to the Senate, where a companion bill sponsored by Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) and co-led by Senator Norm Coleman (R-MN) cleared the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee in November. Pryce said, “We are so close to turning this bill into law, but it is going to take one final massive push to get it through the Senate. We have the momentum, the resolve, and the decisive advantage of knowing that our goal – eradicating pediatric cancer – is irreproachably just. We absolutely cannot afford this opportunity to pass us by.”

Pryce is a Co-Founder and Co-Chair of the House Cancer Caucus. She is the author of the Compassionate Care for Children Act and the Access to Cancer Clinical Trials Act. In 2006, Pryce was awarded the Distinguished Advocacy Award from the American Cancer Society (ACS) – the ACS’s highest honor --for her efforts and advocacy in the fight against cancer. In 2006, The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital honored Pryce with membership into The James Leadership Society, the highest recognition bestowed on supporters of the hospital.

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