Long Live Mr. Health's Legacy

by Greg Simon, President, FasterCures


"By your deeds you shall be known."

That is why Paul Rogers – so well known from a lifetime of good deeds – will be missed by millions of people. I say millions because if you or a loved one has ever been sick or poor or hungry, Paul Rogers did a good deed for you. With a stentorian voice that seemed made in heaven, Paul Rogers advocated for this nation to make protecting the health and well-being of all of us a national imperative. The organization he loved and that loved him – Research! America – is the fountain from which sprang so many organizations (including FasterCures) trying to improve the health and quality of life of all people. His work through Research!America to double the NIH budget will lead to cures and therapies that will affect millions. The Paul G. Rogers Society for Global Health Research Ambassadors program funded by the Gates Foundation to promote awareness of global health issues will affect hundreds of millions.

We all could learn a thing or two from Congressman Rogers' 24-year tenure. He kept his eye on the nation's top priorities and made it his own. He helped ensure that generations of Americans have access to the best that medical science has to offer -- life-saving cancer therapies, medical devices, emergency medical care, public health programs -- and made sure that the water we drink is clean and safe and the air we breathe is free of pollutants.

Congressman Rogers saw the potential for improving our nation's healthcare system and worked tirelessly to turn that potential into tangible benefit for millions of Americans. He helped rally Congress to wage a war on cancer, supported increased investment in the National Institutes of Health, worked to maintain the integrity of the Medicare and Medicaid programs. More significantly, he paved the way for the biomedical research enterprise to become the most scientifically and technologically advanced system in the world.

The FasterCures team extends our sincere condolences to the family of the late Congressman Rogers and to Research!America for the loss of this great and caring man. There are few absolutes in life, but here’s one: Paul Rogers devoted his life to helping others and never asked a thing for himself. The greatest gift we can give his family and friends is to try and do that ourselves everyday.