Janice Hahn: “2 weeks ago, I attended the funeral of one of our colleagues, my good friend, Congressman Mark Takai of Hawaii, who lost…”

“2 weeks ago, I attended the funeral of one of our colleagues, my good friend, Congressman Mark Takai of Hawaii, who lost his battle with pancreatic cancer. Mark was a great leader. He served his country both in the military and the Hawaii National Guard, as well as being a public servant in the Hawaii State House and here in the U.S. Congress. He was taken from us far too soon. Mark was only 49 and left behind his wife and two children. He was a wonderful father and deserved more time with them. Pancreatic cancer has one of the lowest survival rates of any cancer. Just 6 percent survive 5 years past their diagnosis. While death rates for other cancers are declining, pancreatic cancer is projected to become the second leading cause of cancer-related death in the U.S. in the next 4 years. Every year, pancreatic cancer survivors and family members walk the Halls of Congress advocating for more Federal funding for pancreatic cancer research, with the goal of doubling their survival rates by 2020. For too long, those calls have fallen on deaf ears. But perhaps now, in the wake of losing one of our own colleagues, Congress will do what is right and dedicate much-needed funding to curing this deadly disease. ____________________”