HispanicBusiness

WASHINGTON, Feb. 28 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Sandra Benitez, mother, teacher and author from Edina, MN, was named this year's Great Comebacks(R) National Award recipient, and White House advisor Tony Snow was named Honorary Great Comebacks Award recipient this evening at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1984 by former San Diego Charger and ulcerative colitis patient Rolf Benirschke, the Great Comebacks program recognizes the inspirational achievements of people who prevail over debilitating intestinal diseases, colorectal cancer and ostomy surgery. The awards dinner was hosted by program sponsors, ConvaTec, a world-leading manufacturer of ostomy and wound care products, and the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA).

An estimated 1.4 million Americans are affected by inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)(1), a collective term for Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. In addition, 750,000 Americans are living with an ostomy due to either IBD, colorectal cancer or other chronic bowel or bladder diseases.(2)

"Tonight is a celebration of special individuals like Sandra and Tony, and the growth of a Great Comebacks community that offers support to every person living with IBD, colorectal cancer or an ostomy. Through her autobiography and her role as a Great Comebacks ambassador, Sandra provides hope and encouragement to the thousands of patients and their families who are facing the daily challenges of living with these diseases -- this is the mission of the Great Comebacks program," said Rolf Benirschke, chairman of the Great Comebacks Committee. "And Tony stands before us as a role model, exemplifying what the Great Comebacks program stands for by refusing to let long-term IBD and colon cancer limit his ability to succeed."

Benitez was selected from among four other regional Great Comebacks recipients from across the U.S.:

-- Northeast: Bob Baker, 45, Washington Depot, CT -- Mid-Atlantic: Thomas Rinkacs, 39, Laurinburg, NC -- South: Julie Vaughan, 36, Plano, TX -- West: Eric Hayes, 46, Carlsbad, CA

Each year, the Great Comebacks Program recognizes regional recipients who are living with inflammatory bowel disease, colorectal cancer and/or an ostomy. Recipients are chosen by the Great Comebacks Advisory Committee.

Sandra Benitez, 2006 National Great Comebacks(R) Recipient

Sandra Benitez' perseverance and courage helped her accomplish her dreams while overcoming a 30-year struggle with ulcerative colitis.

In 1993, Benitez published her first novel, "A Place Where the Sea Remembers." The following year, physically and emotionally drained, she underwent ostomy surgery. It changed her life by giving back what she thought she had lost: a happy, fulfilling, pain-free existence. She has since written four more novels including her first non-fiction book, a memoir about living with an ostomy, "Bag Lady: The Triumphant True Story of Loss, Illness and

Recovery." Her books have received critical acclaim and local and national literary awards, and have now been translated into six languages.

Among her most recent accomplishments, Benitez was recently named by "Hispanic Business Magazine" one of the top-100 most influential Hispanic women in the U.S. and awarded the prestigious Fellowship in Literature by the George Gund Foundation. Benitez personally considers tonight's honor as the 2006 National Great Comebacks recipient to be among the most special to her. "This award is important to me because it combines my life's passion, writing, with what has become my life's work, improving the lives of other people living with an ostomy through my experiences as a patient and an ostomate," said Benitez.