EARLY Act

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the subject of this bipartisan Special Order on the subject of breast cancer awareness.

Mr. Speaker, tonight, like so many times before, I stand with my friends and colleagues on both sides of the aisle to address an issue that is both personal and universal.

As you may know, October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. It is a privilege to be with fellow survivors and advocates celebrating 25 years of breast health awareness education and empowerment.

Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in women ages 15 to 54 according to the National Cancer Institute. In 2009 alone, the American National Cancer Society estimates that there will be 194,280 new cases of breast

cancer across the nation, and 40,610 of these Americans will die from the disease.

Although these statistics may seem discouraging, we have made significant progress. Steady declines in breast cancer mortality among women since 1990 have been attributed to a combination of early detection and improvements in treatment. When breast cancer is detected at early stages, the survival rate for women is 98 percent. Simply stated, many of these improvements would not have happened without Breast Cancer Awareness Month and its focus on research, education and awareness which increase early diagnoses and save lives.

On a personal level, I know the importance of early detection. Nearly 2 years ago, after I found a lump in my breast while doing a self exam in the shower, my doctor diagnosed me with breast cancer. I had just turned 41. Having been a legislator for more than 17 years and having passed breast cancer legislation, I knew a lot about breast cancer. I knew the importance of early detection, clinical exams every 3 years after age 20, every year after 40, mammograms every year after 40, and yet for all that I knew, I soon realized how much I didn't know. I knew about the BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations, the so-called breast cancer genes, but I didn't know that some women were more likely to have the mutation. I didn't know that even with no immediate family history of breast cancer, as an Ashkenazi Jew I was five times more likely to have the mutation or that I would have up to an 85 percent lifetime chance of getting breast cancer and up to a 60 percent chance of getting ovarian cancer.

I knew that young women can and do get breast cancer. But like a lot of young women, I didn't know just how many of us it touches. And after talking with health care providers, survivors and advocates, it became clear that many other young women did not know these things either. Despite our seeming wealth of knowledge on breast cancer, an astounding 40 percent of young women with breast cancer said that prior to their diagnosis, they did not know that a young woman could get breast cancer.

That's why on March 26, cancer-free and determined to be among the last young women who did not know enough about breast cancer, I introduced H.R. 1740, the Breast Cancer Education and Awareness Requires Learning Young Act, or the EARLY Act. And just this morning, the Energy and Commerce Committee's Health subcommittee held a hearing on this critical legislation as well as several other important breast cancer legislation.

The EARLY Act is designed to educate young women and their physicians about breast health and provide support for young women diagnosed with breast cancer. Young women must learn to be their own voices, to speak up for themselves and know when they need to go to their doctor, because at the end of the day the old saying rings true, ``knowledge is power.'' And when the EARLY Act becomes law, we will fulfill the vital goals of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, increasing education, research and awareness all year long.

However, research, education and awareness are not all that we focus on when it comes to Breast Cancer Awareness Month. We must also take this opportunity to honor and recognize the people close to us who have won their fight against breast cancer, those still fighting, those we have lost, and those who are working hard every day to make sure no one else dies from breast cancer.

We honor the determination of those women and the hope that their courage gives us all. It is an honor to be here tonight, standing together in solidarity as we observe Breast Cancer Awareness Month, wholly committed to increasing early diagnoses, saving more lives and ultimately finding a cure to wipe out this deadly disease. Together, we will save more of our moms, our sisters, our grandmas, our daughters and our loved ones. We can and will empower women to learn the facts, know their bodies, speak up for their health and embrace support.

Mr. Speaker, I am particularly pleased tonight in an environment in which sometimes, in fact too recently, we struggle to do almost anything in a bipartisan fashion, and the intensity and the fervor in which we engage in debate here often prevents us from coming together. The Members of the House of Representatives truly came together today in support and in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. They came together in honor of women who have passed away from breast cancer, in honor of survivors, in honor of women still fighting the disease.

It is my privilege to yield to and introduce my very good friend, fellow breast cancer survivor, someone who has been there for me even before I shared my own story publicly, Congresswoman Sue Myrick, the gentlelady from North Carolina.

Mr. Speaker, the gentlelady from North Carolina (Mrs. Myrick) has been such a passionate advocate on behalf of all cancer patients. As the co-Chair of the Congressional Cancer Caucus, she has

done an absolutely incredible job at raising awareness not just about breast cancer but about all types of cancer. I think, given how much cancer has touched Americans' lives in a very personal way, it's important that we have local advocates like Sue Myrick, and it's my privilege to be side by side with you as cosponsors of the EARLY Act. Thank you so much.

It's now my privilege to yield 4 minutes to the gentlelady from California, Lois Capps, who has a health care professional background as an RN, prior to her election to Congress, and has been one of the leading voices in women's health in the House of Representatives.

Thank you so much. Again, the gentlelady from California, Lois Capps, has been just one of the most outstanding health care advocates in the Congress. I knew about her advocacy and her leadership in health care even before I arrived in Congress in 2004, and it is a privilege to serve with you. It truly is.

It's now my privilege to yield 2 minutes to a woman who has recently joined the Congress, was elected in the class of 2008, worked hard to get here and has been doing a fantastic job, served in the Nevada State Senate as the State Senate minority leader and is a good friend of mine, Congresswoman Dina Titus from the great State of Nevada.

Thank you so much, Congresswoman Titus. Your leadership and the fact that you've joined the Congress added another woman to our ranks. Women's health and making sure that we can focus the attention and the agenda on women's health here in the United States House of Representatives is so incredibly important. We already have a sort of head cheerleader, so to speak, although I don't mean to trivialize her position. But the first woman, Speaker of the House of Representatives, has been a passionate advocate for women's health and has always encouraged making sure that we have more women join our ranks. You've done an incredible job since you've been here. I'm so pleased that you've joined us in the House of Representatives.

Mr. Speaker, I want to spend a couple of minutes just highlighting some unique facts that, really, most people are unaware of when it comes to breast cancer. What I've learned since my own diagnosis and since getting involved in a more personal way in trying to pass the EARLY Act is--we all hear the expression, Everyone knows someone who

has breast cancer. Well, today we really can say that everyone had someone close to them that had breast cancer.

It's just amazing after I shared my own story how many--I was standing there in the well the day that I shared my story with folks, and I can't tell you how many Members came up to me and touched my arm and said, Debbie, my daughter had breast cancer, my mother, my sister, my wife. People stopping me on the street, on the airplane, on the ball field with my kids. It's amazing. The outpouring of people reaching out to connect with me has just been absolutely incredible, because breast cancer touches so many people and touches women in a very personal way. But what's really frustrating about breast cancer is how it strikes certain populations in a more deadly way.

Another thing that I realized is that there are higher risk populations that too often are unaware of their risk. Like me, as an Ashkenazi Jewish woman, I was not really aware of my risk of having a greater likelihood of carrying the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutation. Subsequently when I was diagnosed with breast cancer, I did a genetic blood test and found out that I am a carrier of the BRCA2 gene. But in doing research for the EARLY Act, the statistics that I learned about African American women and breast cancer were really startling.

African American women have the highest breast cancer death rate among minority women. It's 34 per 100,000 people in the population, African American women from ages 35 to 44. So younger African American women have a breast cancer death rate more than twice the rate of white women in the same age group, and they are 34 percent more likely to die of cancer than are whites, and more than twice as likely to die of cancer as are Asians or Pacific Islanders, American Indians or Hispanics.

We have got to raise awareness in higher-risk populations and minority populations, and we have to change the disparity, the disparity in the survival rate and the disparity in terms of access to health care for their populations, because we know that early detection is the key.

At this time, to talk some more about that, is a very good friend of mine, another newly elected Member from the great State of Pennsylvania, professionally a dietitian before she was elected to Congress, a small business owner, and most importantly, a mother of five. I now yield 3 minutes to the gentlelady from Pennsylvania, Kathy Dahlkemper.

Thank you so much, Congresswoman Dahlkemper. Again, it was a thrill to see you come to the House of Representatives and add your expertise, particularly as a dietician, and thank you for sharing those personal stories from your district in Pennsylvania.

The important thing about Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and when we talk about breast cancer it is putting a face on it, helping people to understand, because so often statistics are really easy to just kind of glaze over and stop paying attention to.

Here tonight to help us continue to raise awareness is the gentlewoman from southern California, Susan Davis, who has made health care a signature issue during her time in both the California Assembly as well as the United States House of Representatives, a member of the Education and Labor Committee, one of the three committees in the House of Representatives that passed part of the health care reform legislation, and she has also been a leader by pushing for billions of dollars in funding for NIH.

I yield to the gentlewoman from California.

Thank you very much.

It's now my privilege to introduce and yield to a gentleman who is, again, another recent addition to the House of Representatives, elected in November of 2008, someone who I have really seen exercise incredible leadership since his election to the United States Congress, and apparently the token man here tonight. So it's really especially wonderful that he has joined us.

Steve Driehaus hails from Ohio and is the former minority whip in the Ohio House of Representatives. He is also a former Peace Corps volunteer, which, to me, that kind of altruism and volunteerism is so incredibly admirable. He is the father of three young children, whom I know he is most proud of.

It's my pleasure to yield to him on behalf of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Thank you so much, Mr. Driehaus. Again, it has absolutely been a privilege to work with you since you joined us in the House of Representatives. You've been really doing an incredible job, and I appreciate especially your taking time out of your evening, especially late in the evening, 9 o'clock at night, to help raise awareness about the importance for women to focus on their breast health and to help women and men be focused on breast cancer awareness in this month of October and all throughout the year.

It's now my privilege to introduce someone whom I have come to know over the last number of years and whose district I have traveled to on a number of occasions and whose leadership I've seen demonstrated both in her hometown of Columbus as well as here on the floor of the House. She served as a former school board member in Franklin County, a former county commissioner in Franklin County, and now serves in the United States House of Representatives with distinction.

I yield to the gentlelady from Ohio, Mary Jo Kilroy.

Thank you so much, Congresswoman Kilroy. It is so wonderful to serve in the House of Representatives with you, and as someone who has recently shared her personal health care battle and highlighted the need for health care reform as a reflection of your own personal story, I really just admire your courage. And it's been an incredible privilege to work with you. Thank you so much.

It's now my privilege to introduce not only my friend but my next- door neighbor in Washington, D.C., a woman who has been a passionate advocate, a fighter--really you look in the dictionary and look up the word ``fighter'' and ``passion'' and Shelley Berkley is right there.

She served prior to her election to Congress in the Nevada State Assembly. And I would like some credit for pronouncing ``Nevada'' correctly. So I want to pat myself on the back for that. Ms. Berkley served on the Nevada State Community College Board of Regents as well. She is the mom of two wonderful sons, both of whom I've met and who have done her proud.

And it's my privilege to yield time to her tonight for Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Thank you, Congresswoman Berkley for your leadership and for your friendship and for your neighborliness.

At this time I would like to yield to the gentlelady from North Carolina who will yield to some colleagues who have joined us on her side of the aisle.

Thank you very much, Mr. Cao, for joining us this evening. Again, this has been a bipartisan Special Order, as well as male, female, a combination of devotion to making sure that the women in our lives and the 1 percent of men that are diagnosed with breast cancer every year are more aware of the importance of focusing on their breast health.

It is now my privilege to yield time to the gentleman from Illinois who is celebrating a birthday today. That is particularly exciting, and we appreciate him coming down to help raise awareness about the importance of breast cancer on his birthday. He is a father of two. Prior to his election to Congress last year to fill an unexpired term of the former Speaker, he was a scientist, a very successful and learned scientist, and has added incredible expertise to the discussion and debate we have here in the House of Representatives, Mr. Foster from Illinois.

Thank you so much, and happy birthday.

It is now my privilege in the last couple of minutes before we yield back, in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, to yield time to the gentlewoman from northern California who is a passionate fighter on behalf of the causes that she and her constituents care about, Lynn Woolsey.

Thank you so much. As Ms. Woolsey steps away from the podium, I really want to acknowledge her leadership, particularly on young women breast cancer issues because prior to my introduction of the EARLY Act, she was one of the leading voices on breast cancer in young women, and we can't thank her enough.

Mr. Speaker, as our hour comes to a close, I want to thank Congresswoman Myrick for her leadership and her friendship. I think the point we want to make tonight is that although Breast Cancer Awareness Month is celebrated throughout the entire month of October, it is important for us to focus on breast cancer awareness and for women to focus on their breast health throughout the year.

Thank you so much. I really appreciate Ms. Wasserman Schultz for her efforts in organizing this Special Order tonight. I especially want to commend her for the courage that she had in being willing to share her story, because she won't have any idea of how much this is going to mean to people. There will be people that will be touched by what you did for years to come because you were willing to speak out and to do this legislation. So thank you for introducing the bill as well.

As was noted, October is the 25th anniversary of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. And we have made great strides. Just this week, it was announced that scientists in Canada have, for the first time, decoded all of the 3 billion letters in the DNA sequence of a certain type of tumor. And in the process, they found all the mutations, or the spelling mistakes, that caused the cancer to spread. We know there is a lot to be done in this fight. And I'm also particularly concerned about young women who are diagnosed with aggressive cancers. We've been concerned for some time. That's why we worked with the National Institutes of Health and the environmental people to see if there are links there to figure out why young women in their 20s and 30s are developing breast cancer. It used to be an older person's disease.

So there is a lot of work to be done in that area as we move forward.

But in my city of Charlotte, there was a group of young women in their twenties who were survivors of breast cancer, which they didn't expect. They really just felt so alone, and they formed a group called Breast Friends as a support group. The unfortunate part is this group is growing. It's growing a lot faster than we would like to see it grow. That's one of the challenges we're facing is that so many young women are being diagnosed with this disease. That's the reason I'm pleased to be the lead cosponsor on this bill, the EARLY Act.

Representative Wasserman Schultz has done an excellent job, and it does address some of the needs that younger women who are breast cancer patients and survivors have because it's a unique battle. It's different than has been faced in the past when it comes to diagnosis and treatment and decisions that need to be made. It's a lot different than what those of us who are older, who are survivors have had to face and will have to face in the future.

I have always supported breast cancer research funding over these many years, and there is no doubt that it's an important piece of the puzzle, but education efforts like those in the EARLY Act are also an important piece, because most younger women don't think they can get breast cancer and society tends to tell them, Wait until you are older to get a mammogram. Now there is even talk that self-exams aren't really the way to go. Well, I disagree with that. You are a good example of that one.

We all need to help spread the word. We have got a lot of work to do, not only in our districts, but we need to continue this fight to find a cure. So I thank all of the colleagues that have joined us tonight in this Special Order. It means a lot to everyone, and I also know that they're going to go home to their own districts and do all the advocacy work that we all do over a period of time, and hopefully we will find a cure one day.

With that, I yield back.

I thank the gentlewoman for yielding.

I wanted to make a couple of points before I do that, and one of them is we can't spend an evening talking about breast cancer without remembering our dear friend JoAnn Davis who was a Member here. And she fought a courageous, courageous battle. She truly did. Unfortunately, she was diagnosed late. She had a very aggressive cancer and she lost that battle a couple of years ago. And it's still hard every time I think of her. She was a tremendous, tremendous person and very valiant.

The other thing I wanted to just mention was when we talk about the awareness that this bill is promoting, women still today don't want to get mammograms simply because they're afraid they will hurt. And you know, I have had so many women say that to me; and then I have other women say, Well, I really don't want to know. And you know, we really need to make women aware that they better find out sooner rather than later. And that's why this legislation is so important.

And men, too. I have two male friends in Charlotte who both have breast cancer and never had any idea--and one of them, unfortunately, because they didn't think he had breast cancer, he isn't with us any longer.

So there is a lot of work to do, and again I commend you for this.

And I have the pleasure of introducing a gentleman who is also new to Congress, and we're delighted he's here, the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Cao). I will yield to him 2 minutes.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today, during breast cancer awareness month, in solidarity with, and through the strength of, thousands of breast cancer survivors and victims throughout these United States.

I stand by my friend and colleague Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz whose fight with this disease is an incredible story of will and perseverance;

I stand by many longtime friends in our community who have been affected by this terrible disease;

And I stand by hundreds of thousands of women whom I will never know nor meet, but whose stories we already know all too well.

And though breast cancer affects both genders, it disproportionally targets women, with men being about 100 times less likely to be stricken with the disease.

And as women, our chances of developing invasive breast cancer at some time in our lives is incredibly high, by some counts a 1 in 8 chance.

This makes breast cancer the second most common cancer among women.

Almost everyone in this country unfortunately knows someone who has suffered from breast cancer.

Whether that person is your mother, sister, partner, or friend, the story is always heart wrenching.

Through efforts such as breast cancer awareness month, all of us work to bring about greater breast cancer education, prevention, diagnosis and treatment.

But it is stories of some of the brave women with this terrible disease that I want to share today.

Linda Gayle Burrowes never expected to be a statistic.

But for her 49th birthday she received the gift that would save her life.

A friend of hers insisted on giving Linda a mammogram; and the day after Linda's birthday, she was diagnosed with breast cancer.

She is a survivor because this angel sent gift caught the disease early, and Linda was determined that other women would not be like her, leaving their life up to chance.

Three months after her mastectomy, she started the breast cancer support and educational group ``Your Bosom Buddies'', which has meetings the 3rd Thursday of each month at the Women's Health Center at Baptist Hospital in my community.

There is also the story of Mary Lamberts, who is a 9-year breast cancer survivor.

Mary has a history of cancers on both sides of her family, so she always prepared for the worst on her check-ups.

But 90% of women diagnosed with breast cancer have no family history of the disease.

The diagnosis came after Mary had a mammogram, followed by an ultrasound that same day after her radiologist saw something suspicious.

During the surgery to follow, her doctor found multiple tumors.

Most of the tumors were removed but she had to undergo over 30 treatments of radiation, and remain on a regimen of powerful drugs for years afterwards.

Thankfully, many men and women do survive this terrible disease.

And no one knows the simple gifts in life like a survivor.

Rosa Andreu Vila was diagnosed with breast cancer 12 years ago and went through a lumpectomy, chemotherapy, and radiation and has mercifully been in remission.

She has told me that in the 12 years since her diagnosis, due to early detection and treatment, she has been able to see both of her sons graduate from college and be married, and is now a proud first- time grandmother.

These are stories of survivors, but new cases of breast cancer happen every day.

Dr. Frank Mave, a local doctor of osteopathy, is one of the newly diagnosed males with breast cancer and just had surgery this month.

He is only just now beginning his ``long and winding road'' with chemo and radiation, and we pray for him and all others who are on their way to being survivors.

These stories show that there is hope, and people are increasingly surviving breast cancer.

In the United States, breast cancer is becoming one of the most survivable cancers, if the disease is detected early.

And this is the point of breast cancer awareness month.

We must remain vigilant in our efforts to educate and diagnose and treat.

With these three pillars, we can and will save lives.

Let us make sure that we educate one another on the dangers of breast cancer and the need for routine checkups.

In memory of Congresswoman Jo Ann Davis, who passed away at the age of 57 while serving last Congress after a two-year battle with breast cancer;

For all men and women in my community and throughout the United States currently battling this terrible disease;

For my daughters, and my new baby granddaughter Morgan Elizabeth, I thank my friend and colleague Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz for her leadership on this issue.

Her story serves as an inspiration to all.

Let us make sure our efforts to defeat this terrible disease continue at full force.

Thank you, Congresswoman.

I would like to thank both Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz and my dear friend Congressman Sue Myrick for leading the charge, and a special thank you to Debbie. She did mention that we're next-door neighbors.

And I want to tell you, Debbie, I used to--you know, in the morning before I start getting ready to come to work--and I am always at work by 8 o'clock no matter where I have to be; it's usually by 8. And I would be sitting at my dining room table having my cup of coffee and reading the newspaper, and at ungodly hours there was Debbie getting into her car, and I couldn't for the life of me figure out where she was going at this hour. I said, Where can this woman be going?

But then by 8 o'clock I would see her at whatever meeting we were at. And I never knew until you made that public disclosure of what you were going through and that you were going through it by yourself, with your loved ones, but not sharing with your colleagues because you wanted to keep this personal and not tell people at that time. And I cannot tell you the admiration I had for you long before that, but particularly afterwards.

And, Sue, same thing. I recall distinctly when you were going through your treatments and how brave you were during that time, and it's an inspiration for all of us.

This is a very important piece of legislation, and that's why I came to the floor at 9 o'clock in the evening. It's particularly personal to me.

There isn't a woman in my family that has not died of cancer, of breast cancer: both my grandmothers, all of my aunts, my mother. The worst day of my life is when my sister, Wendy, 47 at the time, called me up and told me that she had been diagnosed with cancer. Given the background of my family, listening to this my knees buckled because I was so fearful of her fate. But because times have changed and there's early detection and better awareness of this dreaded, horrible disease, horrible disease, she was able to get the treatment that she needed. They practically killed her to cure her, but she's alive today and doing not only very well but she just became a grandmother last Friday. And that could not have happened in my mother's generation or my grandmothers' because they weren't aware of what they needed to do in order to protect themselves.

I am hoping that when we are discussing health care in this country that we are able to change the paradigm of how we deliver health care services to the people that we represent throughout the United States of America. This is a perfect example of legislation that is important because it raises awareness for all women, young and old, but particularly younger women that need to know what to look for, what to expect, what are the signs, and what they can do when they suspect that they have the early signs of cancer.

I think the reality is with early detection, you can prevent these diseases and seek the treatment that you need so that you can go on to lead a long and wonderful life and have children and grandchildren just like my sister Wendy.

Women don't take very good care of ourselves. We're always taking care of everyone else. And the little aches and pains we have we tend to ignore because we're too busy during the day to deal with it. We cannot afford to let that happen because sometimes it's those little pains, those little bumps, those little things that we don't pay attention to that could ultimately lead us down a path that we don't want to go.

If you have a sick mother, you have a sick family because in most cases, the mother is the linchpin of the family. And if you're going to have a women that doesn't take care of herself, doesn't know what the early signs of cancer are, doesn't know what to look for and what to do should they suspect, then they're not going to treat themselves; they're not going to have early detection; they're not going to have prevention of this disease. And the entire family is going to be harmed, and the loss to the family is dramatic.

So I cannot thank you enough for introducing this legislation. I'm a proud cosponsor. I look forward to being on the floor and voting for this and pressing that green button.

And I thank you all, not only on behalf of the women in my family-- those that have gone, those that are still here and those that are yet to be born--but for the millions of other American women and families that this legislation is going to help and to save. And I thank you both for that.

Thank you so much for asking me to join you tonight as we have this very Special Order hour to honor Breast Cancer Awareness Month and to recognize those that battle breast cancer across this country. But more than that, we're here to deliver an important message to the American people tonight.

Not only are we on your side in the fight against breast cancer, but we are one with you in the fight against breast cancer. We are one with you not simply because we believe in your cause and to share your goals, and it's not only because we empathize with your hardship, we are one with you because breast cancer is just as real for us as it is for millions of Americans across the country.

This disease, as it's been said tonight, knows no boundaries, knows no borders. It's blind to race, socioeconomic status, and age, and it certainly does not care whether you are a Member of Congress. All in all, nearly 150,000 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year, and more than 40,000 women will, sadly, succumb to the disease.

But what do these numbers really mean? They are certainly alarming and give us pause, but the truth behind these numbers is that 150,000 families will confront a crisis this year; 150,000 families will be subjected to the fear they may lose a mother, a sister, a daughter or a dear friend, and 40,000 families will see that fear become a reality.

Like so many American women, breast cancer became a real cause of concern for me, but I was one of the lucky ones. When my doctor told me I needed a biopsy to check for breast cancer, I was scared and worried what it would mean for my family. But, thankfully, breast cancer never became a reality for me. My biopsy came back clear.

Other women I know were not as lucky as I. Numerous friends have lost their mothers to breast cancer. Witnessing our loved ones suffer is a pain that cannot be accurately described. And that's why we are here, to honor Breast Cancer Awareness Month and to show our solidarity with the hundreds of thousands of women battling breast cancer now and celebrate the more than 2\1/2\ million women who are breast cancer survivors.

I would like to share with you some stories from real women from the Third District of Pennsylvania.

Cindy Hanna of Mercer County was 38 years old when she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2003. Cindy was one of the lucky ones. She had a mammogram on her doctor's recommendation that caught her cancer early, and she is now a breast cancer survivor.

Cindy shared her experience in the Sharon Herald paper. She quotes: ``I had no symptoms. I wasn't even thinking cancer. My cancer was very close to my spine, and if I had waited until I was 40, like most doctors recommend, who knows what would have happened.'' Cindy is now the coordinator of the Medical Equipment Recycling Program at UPMC Horizon in Farrell. This month she is tying pink ribbons in towns across her county to help raise awareness and encourage women to get mammograms early, like she did.

Sue Kilburn of Meadville, Pennsylvania, was diagnosed with breast cancer when she was in her late 40s after an annual mammogram. Her doctor told her she had to choose between a lumpectomy and a mastectomy to treat the disease. She shared her journal with the Meadville Tribune Newspaper, and she writes:

``The words ring out unlike anything I have ever experienced before. I find no anger, just feel numb, dumbfounded and questioning how? When? It was just a routine mammogram.''

She survived her battle with breast cancer, and now she works as a clinical nurse breast care educator at the Yolanda G. Barco Oncology Institute. The position is funded through a grant from the Susan G. Komen Foundation.

Cindy and Sue are heroes. They are survivors. And they are committed to helping women beat breast cancer. For Cindy and Sue and thousands like them, early detection saved their lives. Because they had regular mammograms, their cancer was detected early. When tumors are detected early, we know they are nearly 100 percent treatable.

This Breast Cancer Awareness Month, let's encourage the women in our lives, our mothers, our sisters, our daughters, and friends, to get a mammogram. Early detection saved Cindy and Sue, and that's why I support the EARLY Act. Let's work together to make their stories the story for every woman diagnosed with breast cancer.

I thank you.