Date: 2010-09-15
Speaker: WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (democrat)
Chamber: H

Thank you. Chairman CLAY. for your very kind remarks. Congressman CHAFFETZ. thank you very much for taking the lead on your side of the aisle. Let me just express the grief that I know you felt for the loss of your mother. I have shared that grief with so many women since I shared my own personal story. and hopefully the resolution that we have today will raise awareness so that we can continue to catch more cancer earlier so that we can have more survivors in the United States. Let me also commiserate with you on the pre50 experience that I had for a colonoscopy. which wasnt any fun. but is absolutely necessary. Thank you for mentioning that too. although we all will spare the gory details for everyone. Suffice it to say that its not a fun experience. but one that is very necessary. But I rise today to offer H. Res. 1522. expressing support for designation of the last week of September. this year being the week of September 26. as National Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer Week and the last Wednesday of September as National Previvor Day. Of all the cancers that affect women. roughly 10 percent of cases are caused by genetic factors. Though this percentage is relatively small. the risk for this group. as you have just heard. is huge. Women with hereditary risk factors for breast cancer carry an 85 percent lifetime risk of developing the disease. For ovarian cancer. most women have about a 1.5 percent lifetime chance of developing the disease. But for those with hereditary risk factors. that chance can be as high as 50 percent. and as I learned almost 3 years ago. I am one of those women. Together with my colleagues and inspirational organizations. including Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered. or FORCE. Bright Pink. and the Young Survival Coalition. this resolution gives a voice to these women and brings awareness to the risks of hereditary cancer and. as I have said many times and as so many of my colleagues have said on the floor many times. knowledge is power. Hereditary cancer syndrome describes an inherited gene mutation that increases the risk for one or more types of cancer. The main hereditary breast and ovarian syndromes are caused by mutations in one of two genes. BRCA1 or BRCA2I am a BRCA2 carrierwhich substantially increase the risk for breast and ovarian cancer and slightly increase the risk for other kinds of cancers. For women with a hereditary risk of cancer. it often strikes at an earlier age when they are less likely to expect it. but when the cancer is often more aggressive and more deadly. These young women with a heightened genetic risk are known as previvors. individuals who are survivors of a predisposition to cancer. but who havent yet had the disease. I was 41 when I discovered that I had breast cancer. Because my cancer was discovered so early. I may have only needed minimal treatment. However. as an Ashkenazi Jewish woman. as a woman of Eastern European Jewish descent. I was at a higher risk of carrying a BRCA mutation. and my early cancer set off warning bells for my doctors. At the time. I did not know of my increased risk for carrying the BRCA gene mutation. but I was fortunate that once diagnosed with breast cancer. I had access to experts that helped me learn more about what the BRCA gene mutation meant for me. Genetic testing confirmed the worst. Unfortunately. I had hereditary cancer which dramatically increased my chances of a recurrence of breast cancer and getting ovarian cancer as well. Facing my disease. I have become both a survivor and a previvor. As a mother of three beautiful children. Mr. Speaker. I wanted to make sure that I would be around to see them grow up. I faced tough choices. but seven major surgeries later. I have dramatically reduced the chances that my own cancer will come back. Fortunately. there are organizations like FORCE. Bright Pink and the Young Survival Coalition that support young women as previvors and as survivors of cancer. These organizations bring essential awareness to these issues and help women at risk by providing the information. support and the voice they need to help survive their hereditary risk. As I said before. knowledge is power. It is also why. with the help of 377 cosponsors in the House. I filed the Breast Cancer Education and Awareness Requires Learning Young Act. known as the EARLY Act. to bring this message of knowledge and awareness to the forefront of the story about cancer. I am proud that the EARLY Act is now the law of the land. With the odds stacked against them. young previvors need to know their risks. It is our responsibility to empower these women to know their bodies. speak up about their health. and work together to wipe out these deadly diseases. I believe this resolution will help in that effort. National Previvor Day and Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer Week. which bridges Septembers Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month and Octobers Breast Cancer Awareness Month. will bring added public awareness to the risks for genetic cancers. I encourage all of my colleagues to join me in support of H. Res. 1522. Mr. Speaker. let me just add. before I close. that I am thrilled to see that our colleague from Connecticut. Congresswoman ROSA DELAURO. who is an ovarian cancer survivor. has joined us on the floor in support of this resolution.