Pryce Receives Congressional Champion Award from Leukemia and Lymphoma Society

Washington, D.C. —U.S. Representative Deborah Pryce (R-OH-15) has received the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Congressional Champion Award for her ongoing support for research to find cures for leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma and policies that help improve the lives of patients and families.   

“In the U.S. alone, a new patient is diagnosed with blood cancer every five minutes.  We can not afford to watch this epidemic without doing everything we can to save lives,” said Pryce.  

“Without the hard work and dedication of constituents in my district, people like Kendra Carpenter, her mother Sharon, and Phil Tanner, the support for leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma research and awareness would not be as powerful,” said Pryce. 

The Society hosted a reception for members of Congress and their staff, to present the Congressional Champion Award, as well as to mark the 10 years that have passed since the death of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis whose life was claimed by Non-Hodgkin lymphoma.  The reception featured dozens of photographs of the Kennedys by Jacques Lowe, the family's personal photographer.  The exhibit of rare photographs served as a tribute to the former first lady. 

This week Pryce also began circulating a letter to her colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives in support of $5 million in federal funding for a blood cancer research and education program.  Pryce helped secure $5 million in federal funding for the program in the Fiscal Year 2004 Omnibus Appropriations bill. 

Later this month, Pryce will also be given a second award, the Congressional Honors Award, at the 2004 Leukemia Ball in Washington, D.C. on March 20, 2004.  The Congressional Honors Award recognizes Members of Congress who champion the effort to provide the necessary resources to find a cure for blood cancers. The award is presented in memory of Congressman Joe Moakley, who succumbed to leukemia in 2001. 

Congresswoman Pryce represents the Fifteenth District of Ohio, which includes Western Franklin County, Madison, and Union Counties.  She serves as Chairman of the House

Republican Conference for the 108th Congress, making her the fourth ranking member of House leadership.  The Congresswoman also co-chairs the Cancer Caucus.