Date: 2011-10-25
Speaker: WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I rise today to honor October as National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. For nearly 30 years. the month of October has brought a sea of pink ribbons to our shopping centers. sports games and lapels as we commemorate National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Each ribbon symbolizes our Nations renewed commitment to fighting this deadly disease. from promoting breast cancer awareness. sharing information about breast health. providing greater access to screening services. and ultimately finding a cure. Our mothers. sisters. daughters. spouses. family and friends dress in pink to demonstrate support for women through awareness. education. and empowerment. And though we love the color. we know that October is about so much more than walkathons and accessories. Im one of 2.5 million breast cancer survivors living in this country. Just weeks after a clean mammogram myself and my 41st birthday. I felt a lump in my breast. As a young and otherwise healthy mother of three. I heard the words that all women hope they never hear: you have breast cancer. Getting that news felt like an anvil crashing down on me. With an early diagnosis and confirmation of a hereditary form of the disease. I underwent seven major surgeries. but not radiation or chemotherapy. to ensure that my cancer would not return. But that fear is never truly abated. Once you have had cancer. you always know it could come back. As a breast cancer survivor. I understand intimately how important it is that women have every possible cancerfighting tool at their disposal. Our Nation has been a leader in discovering innovative methods of detection and treatment. A cancer diagnosis is no longer the death sentence it once was. and the statistics are only getting better. But our health care system is still rife with disparities. particularly when it comes to information and access that prevent these advances from reaching everyone. Here in the United States. more than 200.000 people will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year alone. Around the world. that number skyrockets to an unbelievable 1.6 million new breast cancer cases annually. Tragically. almost half a million of these breast cancer patients will die. That means every 74 seconds a woman somewhere in the world dies of breast cancer. These are our mothers. daughters. grandmothers. aunts. sisters and friends. women we all have known. loved. and lost. Mortality from breast cancer has been steadily decreasing over the last 25 years in North America and throughout Europe. Much of this progress is attributed to the widespread use of mammography and other early detection techniques and improvements in treatments. We know that leaps in research and treatment have led to increased survival and that early detection has the power to save lives. But we must make sure that that is the norm in communities all over the world and not only the privilege of the fortunate few. Cost and geography should never place a limit on your ability to get screened. and knowledge should never be a health disparity. For all the progress that weve made over the last 25 years. we must work together to ensure that we beat this disease for good over the next 25 years. Looking to the future. Im committed to finding those areas of breast cancer treatment and breast health awareness that still have a long way to go and working on legislative solutions to fill those voids. Women in their 20s. 30s. and 40s have a completely different experience when it comes to breast cancer than women in their 50s. 60s. and 70s. and it is vital that we recognize and honor those differences. For young women. we in Congress must work to help preserve fertility that often suffers as a result of cancer treatment. Its difficult enough to be told that you have cancer at a young age. but theres no reason that treating the disease should prevent young women from having children down the road. For older women. we should be working to ensure coverage for prophylactic surgery or appropriate treatment options. Unfortunately. Medicare does not cover many of these services. leaving older women with difficult choices in their treatment options. Weve made progress. but there is certainly a long way to go. and I look forward to making that progress together. We know that early detection improves your chance for diagnosis. treatment. and survival. Yet there are so many women who still face barriers to treatment and access to care. The biggest tragedy is that so many millions of women around the world will still lose their battle to breast cancer. We cannot forget their struggles. and we must continue our mission in honor of their memory. Working together. we must keep up our dedication and vigilance to help women know their risks. discover cancer early. access the best treatment possible. and work toward eliminating this disease. This October. there is more hope for survival as we increase access to early detection and affordable quality care. Let us commemorate Breast Cancer Awareness Month with a renewed dedication to support our mothers. sisters. our daughters and sister friends and eradicate breast cancer once and for all.