Aggressively Pursuing the Cures to Breast Cancer and Other Diseases
Op-ed Written by: Congressman Lee Zeldin (NY-01)
Too many families across America are feeling the dangerous, and sometimes fatal, effects of cancer and other diseases that affect their loved ones.
According to the National Institutes of Health, there are currently 10,000 known diseases, with 7,000 of these identified diseases or disorders considered to be “rare.” Unfortunately, as of now, there is only a treatment for 500 of them, leaving millions of Americans and their families suffering without cures. Just one of these devastating diseases is breast cancer, which affects 1 in 8 women.
Breast cancer is all too prevalent on Long Island and across our country and we must act swifter if we are to eradicate this serious issue. Throughout the United States, every 15 minutes, one woman dies from breast cancer and 6 more are diagnosed with this devastating disease. Right here, in New York, over 2,400 women die annually from breast cancer and over 16,000 are diagnosed each year.
The Accelerating the End of Breast Cancer Act (H.R. 1197), one of many bills in the House that I cosponsor, is a bill that supports all efforts to end breast cancer by 2020. This bill, which I have been advocating for passage of since entering Congress, is a commonsense piece of legislation that would bring together leading researchers in the biomedical field, businesses, breast cancer advocacy groups and other research advocates to identify promising initiatives and ideas aimed at curbing the rise of breast cancer rates. Since the bill was introduced last year, over 120,000 women have lost their lives, and an additional 240,000 have been diagnosed. This legislation would harness the resources available and necessary to combat this disease. Additionally, as history has shown time and time again, research breakthroughs in one particular area of focus could have several other applications as well, potentially resulting in a host of new treatment options for several different diseases. This is a widely bipartisan bill with over 270 cosponsors from over 40 different states and I will continue working in Congress to ensure that this bill comes to the House Floor for passage.
During my first 18 months in Congress, I have been working to advance research on many fronts to create the next generation of cures and deliver hope to those suffering from various diseases. In addition to securing funding for research, the House also passed bipartisan legislation that I cosponsored, the 21st Century Cures Act (H.R. 6), which would help improve and modernize our nation’s healthcare, accelerating the process for scientific advancement, while providing desperately needed research funding. The 21st Century Cures Act would secure $10 billion for the National Institutes of Health, which would provide additional research and development resources for Stony Brook University Research Center, Brookhaven National Laboratory, and other research laboratories right here on Long Island. The legislation would also boost the field of personalized medicine, tailoring treatment to patients’ needs. This bill currently awaits further action in the Senate, which is why our U.S. Senators must act swiftly to bring this bill to a vote in their chamber.
Improving our nation’s healthcare must be a top priority in Congress, and I will continue to fight for adequate funding to deliver more resources for research labs and hospitals. These terrible diseases have affected us all, whether directly or indirectly. We as a nation have made some incredible advances in the medical field, but there is still much more work to be done.
Congressman Lee Zeldin represents the First Congressional District of New York. He is a member of the House Cancer Caucus and Congressional Diabetes Caucus, which both support increased funding for research and development to cure diseases.