Category: Fall 2002 Newswire
Frank Favors Restraint on Iraq
WASHINGTON, Sept. 23, 2002–U.S. Rep. Barney Frank will not support a resolution authorizing President Bush to use military force against Iraq unless and until the United Nations confirms Iraq’s production of weapons of mass destruction.
“I do not favor sending the U.S. troops to Iraq now,” Rep. Frank, D-Mass., said after attending a meeting of the House Democratic Caucus last week. “Let the inspectors in.”
Massachusetts’ two senators were more ambivalent about their positions on a draft resolution sent to Congress Thursday, which would support immediate military action in Iraq.
The senators seemed to support the idea of a resolution without endorsing the specific language contained in the draft.
Congress is promising a quick vote on President Bush’s request for authority to use military force against Iraq, moving toward a show of unity to back up the president’s effort to gain support on Iraq from Russia and other wary nations.
Bush called Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday as part of an all-out campaign to win Russian acquiescence for the anti-Iraq campaign.
Leaders from both parties welcomed a draft proposal Bush offered Thursday in which Congress would authorize the president to “use all means,” including military force, to defend U.S. national security interests against the threat posed by Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.
Senate Republican leader Trent Lott, R-Miss., said both the House and Senate could vote on the resolution as early as the first week in October before lawmakers go home to campaign for the Nov. 5 election. He said lawmakers would review the president’s proposal over the weekend, but “I’m perfectly happy with the language.”
Rep. Frank, however, urged the Bush administration and Congress to give Saddam Hussein one more chance so that, hopefully, there would be no need to invade Iraq. Mr. Bush, however, said while meeting with congressional leaders in the Oval Office, “(Hussein) deceives, he delays, he denies.”
Massachusetts’ two senators seemed more supportive of the resolution than Rep. Frank.
“We are going through a legitimate process that empowers the United States to act with the greatest amount of international support and with the greatest understanding of the American people,” Sen. John F. Kerry, D-Mass., said. “If you make that effort … we have greater justification to take action.”
In his comments, Democrat Edward M. Kennedy, Massachusetts’ senior senator, seemed to support the idea of a resolution but not necessarily the language in the draft sent to congress last week.
“We expected this working draft from the White House to be broad,” he said Friday. “We’ll continue working with the White House on appropriate language, with the goal of developing a resolution that protects the United States. There’s no doubt that Saddam Hussein’s regime is a serious threat, and we must continue to work with the United Nations to end that threat. War must be a last resort, not the first resort.”
Four days after President Bush’s address at the U.N. General Assembly demanding enforcement of the U.N. Security Council resolutions on Iraq, U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan received a letter from Iraqi Foreign Minister Naji Sabri promising unconditional access for U.N. inspectors.
President Bush seemed disappointed by that pledge, Rep. Frank said, adding, “Part of the problem is (Bush) did not want Saddam Hussein to let the inspectors in.”
Published in The New Bedford Standard Times, in Massachusetts.
Showing Lawmakers the Face of Cancer Survivorship
By Randy Trick
WASHINGTON, Sept. 19, 2002--Breast cancer survivor Elizabeth Savard has participated in many "Relay for Life" walks around her home in Methuen, but never in the nation's capital.
She has also never shared her story of survivorship and hope for a cure with a congressman.
On Thursday, she did both.
Savard found a receptive ear on Capitol Hill Thursday as one of four Massachusetts volunteers for the American Cancer Society to visit with Rep. Marty Meehan, D-Mass. Other volunteers met with other state lawmakers.
The goal of the visits was to ask for support from lawmakers in increasing the budgets of cancer research organizations such as the National Cancer Institute and programs of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Additionally, they asked lawmakers to pass the Eliminate Colorectal Cancer Act.
A constituent of Meehan's, Savard was visibly excited when the congressman said he would like to do better than President Bush's proposal to double the budget of the National Institutes of Health over the next five years; he would like it to triple.
Meehan has been fighting cancer on the tobacco front, drafting legislation to control tobacco sales and limit the exposure of tobacco advertising to minors. He is currently working on a bill to ensure that children cannot make tobacco purchases over the Internet.
Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., also has been working on cancer legislation. Tuesday, Kennedy introduced legislation calling for better survivorship care and for a study of the quality of cancer care. At the announcement of the legislation, Kennedy appeared with four-time Tour De France winner Lance Armstrong, who overcame testicular cancer.
Lining up legislative support was only one facet of the first-ever event. Throughout the day, cancer survivors, caregivers and others affected by cancer walked laps around the Capitol's reflecting pool.
Later in the evening, the pool was to be lined by thousands of candles honoring cancer patients and survivors.
"This will be like a pebble in a pond," Savard said. "We'll start with this and it will resonate out like ripples."
Since Savard beat her cancer six years ago, she has become part of a support network in Massachusetts. She matches newly diagnosed women with survivors in the area.
"When I first heard I was diagnosed, I was overwhelmed. I felt I was the only one," Savard said. "Then I got a call from a survivor, and it was a relief to know I wasn't alone."
Savard has stayed in touch with the woman who gave her support. They were the same age - 29 years old at the time.
According to the American Cancer Society, 4,700 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer each year, a ripple in a pool of 1.2 million new cases of all kinds of cancer each year, 31,700 of which are in Massachusetts. Each year, 555,500 die from cancer 13,700 of them in the state.
Published in The Lawrence Eagle Tribune, in Massachusetts.
Governor’s Conference Draws Connecticut Protestors
By Marty Toohey
WASHINGTON, Sept. 19--Two-hundred-twenty million smackers.
That's how much Connecticut state money vanished into thin Texas air when Enron went belly-up. And Southington's Lisa McKinnon is angry.
"All that money, just gone, because our governor is corrupt and has people that abuse taxpayer money," McKinnon said quietly between hearty shouts of "Gov. Rowland, Kenny Lay, how much did you steal today!?"
McKinnon is one of 50 Connecticut state workers and activists bussed here Thursday on the "Enron Express" to shout their frustrations around a street corner at groups of distinguished looking men and women partaking that evening in $500-a-plate dinners to raise money for the Republican Governors Association, which Connecticut Gov. John Rowland chairs.
The protestors are frustrated over a lot of things Rowland has done while in office, but Thursday their protests centered on a botched $220 million loan made to Enron in 1999 with public funds from, of all places, a quasi-public garbage company run by a member of Rowland's staff.
Rowland's administration was not impressed by the protest, regarding it as nothing more than a political stunt by Democratic gubernatorial candidate Bill Curry.
"I believe their goal is not to get the [loan] money back, but just to get in the news," said Nuala Ford, Rowland's press secretary. "It's disappointing they've taken this negative campaigning on a road trip."
The lost $220 million itself is less an issue for McKinnon than are the allegations, backed by the state Attorney General's office, that former Rowland aides, placed into their positions by the governor, acted illegally in providing the loan, all the while trying to mask the loan's existence from the public. This was happening while Enron sprinkled funds throughout the GOP, including the $60,000 it gave to the governors association 11 days after Rowland became the organization's chairman.
McKinnon and her compatriots said they hoped to belt out a message to a state administration accused of a list of financial indiscretions longer than St. Peter's Atlantic City sin list: We won't take it any more; we want massive campaign finance reform.
"It's about time we get some serious changes," said Tom Swan, coordinator of the protest and executive director of the Connecticut Citizen Action Group. "It's absolutely ridiculous that something like this can happen."
"Something like this" began in 1999, when Michael Martone, Rowland's long-time political director, took a job with law-and-lobby firm Murtha Cullina, which worked on behalf of Enron.
Soon after, Rowland named Peter Ellef, his co-chief of staff, to be chairman of the Connecticut Resources Recovery Authority (CRRA), which specializes in trash pickup. Ellef served as CRRA chairman, an unpaid position, while retaining his $125,000-per-year job with the governor.
Murtha Cullina, working on behalf of both CRRA and Enron, brokered a deal that loaned $220 million in state public funds to Enron.
Rowland and Ellef met with Enron executives and consultants four days before the loan became official. Enron then gave $60,000 to the governors association 11 days after Rowland was named its chairman.
Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat, concluded in February that Ellef was improperly named chair of CRRA, that the garbage-collecting organization lied when it depicted the loan as an energy transaction and that the loan exceeded CRRA's legal authority. It was an illegal loan made by a man who should not have been in charge, the attorney general found.
"CRRA sought to do indirectly what it could not do directly," Blumenthal said in his February report. "It employed 'energy' as a euphemism to circumvent the statute's ban on loans of this kind to private companies. An unsecured transfer of $220 million to a private company - especially one in the volatile energy industry - was simply inappropriate for a public agency like CRRA."
Swan stated it more bluntly.
"Martone and his CRRA cronies hid this from the public," he said. "They knew this was a really risky deal."
Things have changed in Rowland's office since Enron's collapse. Ellef resigned both his jobs in March, and Rowland has turned over all litigation strategy to the Attorney General's office while pledging to further clean up his administration.
Blumenthal said he will not comment on whether his office will pursue action against Rowland or his administration, but he said his office is investigating all individuals and organizations related to Connecticut's piece of the Enron scandal.
Blumenthal's office is also suing Andersen, Enron and Murtha Cullina to recover the $220 million, but the office said it does not comment on pending litigation and thus could not offer any predictions.
Swan offered a grim prediction.
"Only a fraction of that money might come back," Swan said, "and I think everyone in Connecticut is affected by this."
Most affected will be the 70 towns that have contracts with CRRA for trash pickup. Because of the loss, the state legislature has increased the fee for trash pickup by $4 per ton. That figure will probably increase soon, either during the next state legislative session or by CRRA itself.
But again, that is not the issue for the 50 protestors and the labor organizations they represent.
"The governor had his chance, and we don't like what he's done," McKinnon said. "It's time for a change."
Published in The New Britain Herald, in Connecticut.
Keene Residents Rally for Celebration on the Hill
WASHINGTON, Sept. 19, 2002--Even amongst a sea of purple tee shirts on the National Mall, 9- year-old Aaron Boss and 10-year-old Ian Lewis-Slammon stood out with their purple hair. Like many other participants at Thursday's rally, Aaron and Ian were wearing the signature color of the American Cancer Society's Celebration on the Hill.
Their parents, Keene residents Jim Boss and Susan Lewis, were selected as two of New Hampshire's 10 Relay Community Ambassadors for the event.
The rally, which was held at the U.S. Capitol Reflecting Pool, featured festive tents decorated for each state and a makeshift track with members from each state delegation walking at all times to symbolize the ongoing fight against cancer. An estimated 6,000 cancer volunteers, survivors and caregivers descended on Washington to show their commitment to the issue and to lobby their members of Congress for more funding for cancer research.
Lewis, a physician's assistant for Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Keene, said she has often delivered a diagnosis of cancer to her patients and felt it was important to attend the event because she would like to see more access for patient care, screening, and improved care for minorities.
"My biggest motivation for being here as a healthcare provider is that without research and funding, we're not going to find a cure," Lewis said. "I'm also here in memory of my friends, family and patients who have had cancer or passed away, and I really want to make a difference."
Ian Lewis-Slammon brought photos of Emma Furlone, a five-year leukemia survivor, to show to legislators during his visit. Emma has been a classmate of Ian's for the last five years.
"The point of this event is to show the power of people," said Peg Camp, chief operating officer for the New England division of the American Cancer Society. "We want to put positive pressure on our legislators to recognize that there are issues related to cancer that they need to pay attention to."
Camp said the goal of the Celebration on the Hill, the kickoff for an 18-month campaign, is to influence Congress to provide increased funding for the National Institute of Health, the National Cancer Institute, the National Center on Minority Health and the Centers for Disease Control.
The American Cancer Society also hopes to have the Eliminate Colorectal Cancer Act passed by Congress this year, Camp said. Under this act, privately insured patients would receive the same access to colorectal cancer screenings that Medicare patients currently receive.
Jim Boss, who has been involved with the Relay for Life for 10 years and co-chaired the annual Keene relay with Lewis, said he first became an active volunteer after his father died from colorectal and liver cancer in 1983.
"This event is going to really show our leaders in Washington that there are so many people who are in it for the long run and Mr. Bush [George W.] said the other day in a letter that the only way to win the war on cancer is to fund it, and there are some critical money issues that are coming up," said Boss.
His focus with the American Cancer Society over the last few years has been on behalf of survivors like his mother and all of the others who have been left behind after the loss of a loved one.
"The strength and the kindness of caregivers that goes into cancer patients, the recognition of the whole system, the network and the great work is really why I'm here today," Boss said.
Rep. Charles Bass (R-N.H.), whose own mother died of breast cancer, met with Lewis and Boss during their visit on Thursday.
"I think probably everybody knows someone who has suffered from some form of cancer," Bass said in a statement. "Every effort should be made to prevent, diagnose, and provide access to affordable treatments for this difficult and often fatal disease."
Published in The Keene Sentinel, in New Hampshire.
Beverly Residents Voice Cancer Concerns in D.C.
WASHINGTON, Sept. 19, 2002--A contagious mixture of excitement and enthusiasm flowed through the 50 state tents set up for a gathering of cancer survivors and activists at the Capitol Thursday.
Among the thousands attending the event, called Celebration on the Hill, were three-time cancer survivor Robert Mehrman and volunteer Jessica Slate, both of Beverly.
"It's a great way to demonstrate how much we care and how much our communities care," Slate, 31, said of the event, sponsored by the American Cancer Society (ACS).
Mehrman and Slate are relay community ambassadors, acting as grassroots volunteers and spokespersons for the group's advocacy efforts.
"We're representing our congressional districts and all of the people there that have developed cancer and have been affected by cancer," Slate said.
At the new two-day event Wednesday and Thursday, cancer survivors, caregivers and volunteers celebrated their battle against the disease while urging Congress to promote more research, education and prevention and calling for expanded access to early detection and treatment to help people fight cancer.
"We're concerned over the fact that we know that cancer causes death, we know that cancer causes disability and we know that cancer causes a great deal of expense. … It's so much simpler to prevent cancer from happening," Mehrman, 75, said. "The National Cancer Institute is doing a fantastic job in doing cancer research, but we would like members of Congress to support bills that would free up money to the National Cancer Institute. They need to put more money in where it does the most good."
First diagnosed in 1989 with cancer of the larynx, Mehrman, the former executive director of the Massachusetts Broadcasters Association, went to see his doctor with what he believed to be laryngitis.
"I stopped smoking two years before the cancer showed up," he said.
The doctors removed Mehrman's larynx in 1990, but eight years later he developed cancer of the bladder and had the cancer removed. In 2000, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer and underwent radiation for six or seven weeks. Three months ago, Mehrman's cancer troubles returned with cancer of the bladder. The doctors operated, and he is undergoing treatment.
"We want a promise from the congressional delegation that they are going to vote for legislation" that would help the fight against cancer, Mehrman said. "The ACS provides a lot of useful information. It's only a small part of the equation, and they can't do everything. We want to see cancer eliminated. I'd like to see it done in my lifetime."
Slate said participants in the event are asking Congress to pass the Kennedy-Helms Eliminate Colorectal Cancer bill, to double the National Institutes of Health budget and to continue to invest and expand the budget for overall cancer research and treatment.
Mehrman said the bill, sponsored by Sens. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., and Jesse Helms, R-N.C., would provide privately insured people with the coverage they need for a cancer screening. "Screenings are very important because if caught early than they can be [treated successfully]," he said. "It depends on the stage."
During the morning, Mehrman and Slate met with Rep. John Tierney, D-Salem, to discuss their concerns about the fight against cancer.
"He knew pretty much all about what we were here for and he feels that there's got to be some changes in the way the U.S. government is spending its money," Mehrman said. "The entire congressional delegation feels the same way. It [the meeting] didn't have any arm bending or twisting or frowning. They are going to try to free up some funds. I was very positive about the whole thing."
Slate agreed that the meeting was successful, adding that Tierney "has a history of being supportive."
Slate, experienced the effects of cancer when her grandfather was diagnosed with the disease while she was in high school. He did survived the disease, but she had two aunts who died from cancer.
"It clearly knows no bounds and no discrimination," she said.
Published in The Salem News, in Massachusetts.
Congressional Members Skeptical of Iraqi Decision
WASHINGTON, Sept. 19, 2002--Most area congressional members responded Tuesday with skepticism to Saddam Hussein's recent promise to allow unconditional weapons inspections in Iraq.
"This announcement by Iraq is a first step," Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H., said in a statement. "However, it is rhetoric we have heard before, and compliance with U.N. resolutions will speak louder than any statement Iraq can issue."
Others agreed.
"I don't think it changes anything," Rep. John Sununu, R-N.H., said "It's perfectly reasonable to believe that anything Iraq does is a cynical move."
United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan announced Monday that Iraq had agreed to an unconditional return for U.N. weapons inspectors. A timeline for inspections has not yet been set, but Annan said Iraqi leaders were willing to discuss the logistics immediately.
The Bush administration and many congressional Republicans view Iraq's promise skeptically, while others feel cautiously optimistic.
"If they're willing to give unconditional inspections another try, maybe we can avoid military action," Tom Allen, D-Maine, said. "But that's ultimately the President's decision."
He said that Iraq "feels the heat" from mounting international pressure and that its change of policy could be an opportunity for a peaceful resolution. "You can't ever trust Hussein, but there may be a way to effectively disarm him without engaging in a war," he said. "If there is an opportunity to do that, we should explore it."
Rep. Charlie Bass, R-N.H., issued a statement that, while expressing similar skepticism, also supported a peaceful course of action if possible "I am encouraged that Iraq has taken this step…and remain hopeful that military action can be avoided," he said.
The United States is pressing the U.N. to pass a new resolution addressing Iraq in the coming weeks. International leaders have recently supported measures to resume weapons inspections inside Iraq, but few have openly endorsed the Bush administration's ultimate goal of regime change.
"The next move is up to the U.N. Security Council," said Stephen Hess, a senior fellow in government studies at the Brookings Institution, a Washington. think tank. He said that some countries-such as China and Russia-would regard Iraq's decision as "considerable movement," and might favor a resolution to re-establish inspections before making any decisions on military action.
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Some congressional Democrats said that international support-with the principal exception of Britain-for military action might be difficult to find.
"I think we'd be hard pressed to find allies to support anything beyond inspections at this point," Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., said.
Allen agreed. "The correct policy for the United States is to make the elimination of weapons of mass destruction the goal and not necessarily regime change," he said. "If we can eliminate weapons of mass destruction we should."
But most of New Hampshire's Republicans support the President's goal of regime change.
"Saddam's gesture to allow weapons inspectors back into Iraq does not negate the threat his regime poses to U.S. interests, and those of our allies and friends," Sen. Bob Smith, R, N.H., said in a statement. "The President has firmly and unequivocally stated his position on Iraq, and I support his views."
The Administration is pressing Congress to debate and adopt an Iraqi resolution before its planned October break. But area members of Congress would not say what the resolution might entail or if it would be passed before the recess.
Published in Foster's Daily Democrat, in New Hampshire.
Mass. Reps. Call for Investigation of Faulty Fishing Surveys
WASHINGTON, Sept. 19, 2002--Just days before Friday's annual fisheries forum in Gloucester, the Massachusetts congressional delegation asked the U.S. Commerce Department to address concerns about faulty equipment the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) uses to conduct fish-counting surveys off the New England coast.
The NMFS disclosed last week that the cable attached to scientific survey gear on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) ship Albatross IV was inaccurately marked and had been used in eight bottom trawl surveys since February 2000.
The NMFS's Sept. 11 statement explained that the Albatross IV's cables were not marked consistently at 50-meter intervals. The incorrect markings caused the two cables that hold the trawl net to tow at an angle. This caused fewer fish to be caught and resulted in data suggesting that fish stocks were declining.
Information from such trawl surveys is vital in determining regulated fishing practices in New England. Legislators questioned how two years of faulty data would affect a fishery management plan that the New England Fishery Management Council has ordered to be completed by August 2003.
In a letter sent Tuesday to Commerce Secretary Donald L. Evans, Sens. Edward Kennedy and John Kerry and Reps. John Tierney, Barney Frank, and William Delahunt, all Massachusetts Democrats, called for establishment of a Northeast science task force to investigate the effect of having used improperly calibrated equipment for two years.
"We strongly encourage you to establish a Northeast science task force that should include state and regional management experts as well as leading scientific and gear experts, including fishermen," the letter states.
The letter also highlighted the effects on the local economy. "The potential economic impacts of this management plan on fishing communities in Massachusetts are severe," it reads. "We therefore wish to stress the importance of removing questions regarding the science that will go into developing this plan."
The NMFS admission of false data is important to local fishermen, who have been questioning scientists' results for years.
"This data has caused many people to suffer," Angela SanFilippo of the Gloucester Fishermen's Wives Association said in an interview Thursday. The association assists several fishing communities along the North Shore, including Newburyport. "Fishermen have complained that they do not agree with the data and the data that was used was not the best available."
"I think it's important that we convince them [fishermen] that we are interested in getting the right science, in getting the right facts," Tierney said in an interview Wednesday. "And that we only make rules that are based on the correct facts."
The congressman said he and Frank would address fishermen's concerns and questions at the ninth annual Gloucester Fisheries Forum.
Tierney called for further action on the matter. "We want a federal and complete investigation as quickly as possible," he said.
"This letter underscores the critical importance of fostering partnerships with industry, the states and academic institutions in order to ensure that fisheries management decisions are based upon the best science available," Kerry said in a statement Wednesday.
As of Thursday afternoon, a Commerce Department spokesperson was not prepared to make a public statement until Secretary Evans had responded directly to the legislators.
The lawmakers say they will ask for an extension of next August's deadline if new, accurate data are not collected in time.
Meanwhile, the NMFS has begun towing gear off the Albatross IV at various depths. They hope to observe net performance by using video equipment and sensors to see how incorrect calibrations might skew fish stock data. Additional work will be conducted from Oct. 15-Oct. 25 to further document gear performance.
Teri Frady, chief of research communications at NOAA's Northeast Fisheries Science Center, said Thursday she could not yet comment on any results from the new tests.
"It will take time to reliably document how the gear performed and how that might have influenced catch," a NOAA statement said.
Conrad C. Lautenbacher Jr., the Commerce Undersecretary of for Oceans and Atmosphere, ordered that results be made available to affected fishery councils within 60 days. Following these results, NOAA will convene an independent panel to revise trawl survey procedures and recommend methods for improving collection methods.
Published in The Newburyport Daily News, in Massachusetts.
Local New Bedford Woman at D.C. Cancer Rally, Honors Mom and Others
By Joe Crea
WASHINGTON, Sept. 19, 2002--Wearing purple clothing and earrings, Lorraine Desrosiers Sylvia entered the Massachusetts tent, at the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life "Celebration on the Hill." The space was bustling with activity and joyous laughter. She immediately smiled and it seemed as if her radiance broke through the day's overcast weather.
Today, she and thousands of other dedicated individuals attended the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life "Celebration on the Hill" event on the National Mall that advocates cancer awareness, celebrates the lives of cancer survivors and honors the memory of those who have passed. Sylvia, a lifelong New Bedford resident, has volunteered for the American Cancer Society for the past nine years.
The event in front of the U.S. Capitol was crammed with a concert stage and 50 tents that housed volunteers from all 50 states who were planning, sharing, laughing and crying.
"We really are here today to make an impact and let everyone know we care about cancer and that we vote," said Sylvia.
Joining Sylvia on this pilgrimage were her husband, Richard Sylvia, and all 15 members of her American Cancer Society support group. Her friends in the group were not shy when offering their opinions about the 58-year-old New Bedford resident.
"She's the kind of person who will say, 'Gee, Laura, can you help me out? And the next thing you know you are a committee chairperson," said Laura Hergenhan, 53, of New Bedford.
Sylvia's image as a Town Crier prompted another friend, Dale Correia, 53, of New Bedford, to say that "she's one of those people that carries around an imaginary soap box."
Her friends all agree. Sylvia is one of the most caring individuals they know.
For Sylvia, who lost her mother and three cousins to cancer, there was plenty to remember and honor in Washington today.
"I miss her just as much today," said Sylvia, speaking about her mother, Loretta Lariviere, who died 30 years ago. "She was awesome."
Lariviere had lymph node cancer and Hodgkin's disease, and according to her daughter, always participated in experimental drug trials with the hope of saving other people's lives.
"What's so wonderful about it is that people don't die of that type of cancer anymore," said Sylvia. "Maybe her research helped save lives. So she's my hero."
But the day also was an opportunity for Sylvia to celebrate, as she knows many who have survived cancer, like her aunt, Beatrice Johnson, 69, of Fairhaven, who was in attendance.
And Sylvia had her own brush with cancer some years ago when doctors removed a tumor that turned out to be non-malignant. As a result, she ignores the latest controversy surrounding the validity of mammograms.
"The trauma that I went through waiting to find out was horrible," said Sylvia. "And the tumor was found with a mammogram so I think they are very important."
Sylvia became involved in the American Cancer Society after her close friend, JoAnn Richard, asked if she would volunteer with her after Richard's father died of cancer.
"I want to do this for my dad," Sylvia's friend told her. "Will you help me," asked Richard.
After that, Sylvia became a team captain for the Relay For Life of Greater New Bedford-an overnight event that celebrates survivorship and raises money for research and awareness programs for local American Cancer Society chapters--for nine years. In Washington, she served as an ambassador for the national event.
New Bedford's Relay for Life, held every year in June, has been ranked in the top ten relays throughout the nation for the past four years. This year, the event took in $538,000, celebrated the lives of 1,170 survivors and sold 14,000 Luminarias-candle lanterns lit in a ceremony after dark in honor or memory of a loved one touched by cancer.
"I sold 302 Luminarias for this relay," said Sylvia, mentioning the local Democratic congressman. "Congressman Barney Frank bought ten from me."
The Massachusetts delegation has supported the Relay for Life cause, she said, adding that Frank and Democratic Sens. Ted Kennedy and John Kerry all have been advocates of campaign programs to eradicate cancer and fund research. And to show their support, they even took their message to President Bush, said Sylvia.
Sylvia said she has received letters from members of the Massachusetts delegation to Congress informing her, "They recently met with him (Bush) and he said that it's (cancer) an important issue to him and we need to fund the cancer programs. So that was good news."
In the meantime, Sylvia continues to focus on her volunteering efforts and still attempt to honor the memory of her mother. "I think my mother was always proud of her children," she said. "She would be equally as proud of us today."
In a heart-warming moment, Sylvia noted that her mother's last name was Lariviere, which in French means, "the river" and her last name, Desrosiers, means "of the roses" in French.
"Together, they say, 'The River of Roses.' I've always liked the way that sounds."
Published in The New Bedford Standard Times, in Massachusetts.
Cancer Rally Spreads Hope
WASHINGTON, Sept. 19, 2002--The scene at the nation's capital Thursday could be described in one word: purple.
Nearly 6,000 American Cancer Society (ACS) volunteers clad in purple T-shirts, crowded the National Mall and Capitol Hill as part of "Celebration on the Hill" a day to celebrate cancer survivorship and push Congress to provide more funds for cancer research and prevention. The delegates represented all 50 states and each of the 435 Congressional districts, including two from Essex County.
Bumping to the tunes of "Stayin' Alive" and "Celebration," the group rallied at a makeshift track around the National Mall, with individuals from every state delegation walking the track at all times. The relay, according to ACS, was meant to symbolize the ongoing fight against cancer. The participants sported purple shirts covered with buttons and ribbons calling for more funding for many types of cancer.
"Celebration [on the Hill] is the cumulative voice of millions of American Cancer Society volunteers sending a message to our elected leaders that cancer is an issue in their own backyards," said Ray Davis, the event chair of the volunteer task force, his voice beaming across the Mall through loudspeakers.
With lawmakers anxiously working to complete the federal budget, volunteers (or "community ambassadors," as they called themselves) each visited a congressman from their district to garner support for cancer research and education programs, and to call for expanded access to early detection and treatment to help people fight cancer.
Jessica Slate, who has worked with a Gloucester organization fighting tobacco use, and Robert Mehrman, a Beverly anti-tobacco education consultant, met with Rep. John Tierney (D-Mass.) in his office and encouraged him to free up more funding for the National Cancer Institute and the National Institutes of Health.
"I told him to show me the money," Mehrman said. "He said 'okay.'"
They both agreed that their meeting with Tierney went well and said the congressman had long been a supporter of funding for cancer-related programs.
"He knew pretty much all about what we were here for," Slate said. "He feels that there's got to be some changes in the way the U.S. government is spending money."
Slate's grandfather was diagnosed with cancer when she was young, and she has had two members of her family die of the disease. Mehrman, 75, has survived cancer of the larynx, bladder and prostate and is now battling a relapse of the bladder cancer.
Despite the fact that many of the participants had lost loved ones to cancer or had undergone massive hardships themselves because of the disease, the mood in the tent designated for Massachusetts volunteers was nothing but hopeful.
"We can't influence public policy like the PACs can," said Thomas Sellers, chief financial officer of ACS's New England Division. "But we can show we've got community-based support all across the country."
When asked what he hoped to bring back to the people of Massachusetts from the event, Mehrman, speaking with an electric voice box used by people who have had their larynx removed, said, simply, "Hope."
Published in The Gloucester Daily News, in Massachusetts
Mainers March in D.C. for More Cancer-Related Funding
WASHINGTON, Sept. 19, 2002--Maine's congressional delegation responded favorably to the message delivered by 16 Mainers who arrived at the Capitol on Thursday for the American Cancer Society's Relay For Life: Celebration on the Hill: help intensify national support for cancer spending and research.
The group from Maine, equipped with gifts of foam lobster claw headbands and Relay For Life Bus toy replicas, joined thousands of volunteers at the grassroots event geared toward supporting legislation to promote increased cancer research and more money for treatment as well as uniting those whose lives have been touched by the disease.
The volunteers are pressing Congress to boost spending for the National Cancer Institute and for cancer-related programs at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. They are also working toward doubling the budget of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and providing resources for the newly formed National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities.
The purple t-shirted volunteers, known as relay community ambassadors, represented all 50 states. Each state decorated its own tent with banners honoring cancer survivors and victims, quilts and special touches unique to the state.
Democratic Rep. John E. Baldacci, who also has participated in Relay For Life events in Old Town and Farmington, met with volunteers at the Maine tent to show his support for the fight against cancer.
"The research is so vitally important," Baldacci said in a phone interview Thursday. "We need to make sure that we continue to put the resources there and beef up the clinical trials, and to get more help in our area would be just tremendous."
One of Democratic Rep. Tom Allen's major concerns is the cost of prescription medicine, particularly chemotherapy and cancer drugs.
"He supports efforts to include screening and other preventive methods through Medicare, as well as increased funding for the NIH," said a spokesman for Allen, who was on a plane back to Maine and unavailable for comment.
Republican Sen. Susan Collins met briefly on Capitol Hill with volunteers, posing for photographs and thanking them for their dedication. Collins has co-sponsored several bills for cancer research, including the National Cancer Act of 2002 together with California Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein.
"It is important to take legislative action in support of increased funding for federal cancer research and research application, prevention initiatives, expanded access to care and early detection program," Collins said in a statement Thursday.
Republican Senator Olympia Snowe, a proponent of health and cancer research, met with the Maine Relay for Life Ambassadors at the Capitol.
"We know that early detection and prevention can pay tremendous dividends in fighting cancer. By taking steps like passing the National Cancer Act, we can target our resources and screening to preventative measures that can provide the biggest bang for the federal buck," she said in a statement issued Thursday.
Snowe was honored Thursday by the Society of Gynecologic Oncologists and the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance for her work on cancer-related issues.
Published in The Kennebec Journal and The Morning Sentinel, in Maine.
