For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
June 1, 2002
President Speaks at "Race for the Cure" in DC
Remarks by the President in Telephone Message to Race for the Cure Participants
West Point, New York
8:22 A.M. EDT
(as delivered to the awards ceremony)
THE PRESIDENT: Well, Nancy, thank you very much for your kind
words, and I appreciate so very much your service to our country as
Ambassador to Hungary, and your service to our country as the Founding
Chairman of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.
And I've got to tell you, I'm here at West Point, getting ready to
give the commencement address, and I'm honored to be here. But I kind
of wish I was running today with the thousands who are there.
I want to thank all the runners for bringing hope to Americans as
we fight cancer. I want to thank the survivors for your courage. I
want to thank Congresswoman Sue Myrick, who is Race for the Cure
Honorary Survivor Chair.
I appreciate so very much the fact that you all recognize that
you're running for a great work and a great cause, that every life
saved is a mother, a daughter or a sister restored to health. What I
love most about the Komen runs is that people participate in the spirit
of generosity and kindness and love that really distinguishes America
and makes us unique. You know, a lot of people go out and run to win
prizes. You're running and walking to save lives. And for that, our
nation is incredibly grateful.
I recognize that we've made some advances, and I'm grateful for
those, and I know you are, as well. But I also know that we've got a
long way to go to win this war on cancer and breast cancer. Nancy
mentioned that the federal government is strongly committed to funding
-- putting dollars up for research at the NIH, which we will do, and
continue to do. See, I'm an optimistic person. I believe -- strongly
believe in our lifetimes we will achieve a victory over cancer.
Again, I want to thank you for running. Every step you take today
is critical to finding a cure for breast cancer.
|