3/13/2008

Pausch Testifies on the HIll

Randy Pausch has become famous for his "last lecture," his Sept. 18 talk in which the computer scientist discussed how he had achieved his childhood dreams and shared his wisdom on how to live a good life. The speech was made especially powerful by an inescapable fact: his pancreatic cancer had recurred and all but certainly had reduced his remaining lifespan to a matter of months.

Pausch maintains that all pancreatic cancer patients need not share his fate; at least not if the federal government would increase research funding for the deadly disease. On Capitol Hill today, he is scheduled to testify before the House Appropriations Committee's Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies. He plans on reminding Congress that the National Cancer Institute spends less than 2 percent of its research budget on pancreatic cancer even though pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer deaths.

"Ironically, the National Cancer Institute developed a pancreatic cancer research plan back in 2001," he said in his prepared remarks. "The problem is it was never fully implemented. In fact, only five of the plan's 39 recommendations were acted upon."

Pausch has joined with the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network to support an updated version of the plan and to seek $170 million in federal funds to implement it over the next five years.

"My mother always liked to refer to me as her son, the doctor, but not the type of doctor who helps people," he said. "I hope that by being here today, I will help people by shining a spotlight on this disease and urging you to provide necessary research funding for this disease."

Byron Spice