Mother's Day is a time to acknowledge the spirit of the women that have played significant roles in our lives. I was fortunate to be visited recently by a courageous group of mothers who valiantly fight to raise awareness of the crushing affects of breast cancer. Besides being working mothers, these professional women are also breast cancer survivors.
Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women, accounting for one in three cancers diagnosed.
In 1999, approximately 180,000 women were diagnosed with breast cancer in the United States, and over 11,000 were in Texas. In the same year, almost 50,000 women died from breast cancer in the United States, including nearly 3,000 Texans. In Congress, we are doing our part to combat this disease by providing more resources for research into causes and cures for breast cancer as well as aggressive early detection services and treatment for all women regardless of race or income. This program focuses on developing innovative and cost-saving research strategies that have attracted new and talented scientists to the field of breast cancer research. This alternative stream of funding has been invaluable in offering us new insight into the biology of breast cancer and bringing us closer to ultimately finding a cure.