[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 155 (Thursday, October 30, 2003)]
[House]
[Pages H10135-H10136]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH

  (Ms. BERKLEY asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1

[[Page H10136]]

minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. BERKLEY. Mr. Speaker, almost everyone has a family member, a 
friend or a co-worker who has been personally affected by breast 
cancer. This year, 1,400 women will be diagnosed with invasive breast 
cancer and 300 women will die from this devastating disease in my State 
of Nevada.
  Two of my closest professional associates, two women who I work with 
every day, won their battle against breast cancer; they are cancer 
free. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. I lost my own mother 
this past July after her 14-year battle against breast cancer.
  From these battles I have learn the importance of mammography 
screening and early detection which have led to higher survival rates. 
Nevada has the lowest percentage of mammograms performed per capita 
than any other State in the country, only 65 percent of Nevada women 
age 40 and over have had mammograms within the last 2 years; this 
leaves 35 percent of the women in Nevada without any necessary 
information to arm themselves against this disease and the ability to 
fight it early on. We must continue to get the word out to women that 
early detection in the fight against breast cancer is critical.

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