[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 156 (Friday, October 31, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2180]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           OCTOBER IS NATIONAL BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH

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                       HON. SHELLEY MOORE CAPITO

                            of west virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 30, 2003

  Mrs. CAPITO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Breast Cancer 
Awareness Month on behalf of the Hampshire County Cancer Coalition. 
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, a disease that will kill an 
estimated thirty-nine thousand, eight hundred women along with four 
hundred men in the year 2003 alone. It is through the extensive work of 
medical experts, as well as awareness groups like the Hampshire County 
Cancer Coalition, that there is hope to extinguish this horrible 
disease.
  I am proud to recognize two Hampshire County residents, Clara Belle 
Lee and Nellie Lew, who are the two oldest living breast cancer 
survivors in our state of West Virginia. Ms. Lee has been a survivor 
for fifty-two years, and Ms. Lew has been a survivor for fifty-seven 
years. I was honored to have met these women, along with the rest of 
the Coalition, at the fourth Annual Breast Cancer Survivors Luncheon 
and wreath hanging ceremony. Their passion and their enthusiasm for 
life are characteristics of these two incredible women, who have beaten 
the odds of this fatal disease.
  I would like to take some time to recognize the Hampshire County 
Cancer Coalition and their work. This organization has been 
instrumental in the state of West Virginia with educating the general 
public about cancer, as well as striving to initiate the early 
detection of cancers among women.
  The Hampshire County Cancer Coalition was formed in 1993 under the 
direction of the Appalachia Leadership Initiative on Cancer, a 
cooperative agreement between the National Cancer Institute and Mary 
Babb Randolph Cancer Center, to address cancer control issues in our 
county. The Coalition has sought to increase public awareness and 
promote early detection of breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer 
throughout Hampshire County.
  The Coalition has collaborated with various community entities in its 
cancer awareness efforts. Shortly after its formation, the Coalition 
sponsored two ``Friend to Friend Summits,'' with one held in Romney and 
one in Capon Bridge. These summits brought together community members, 
cancer survivors, doctors and nurses for a sharing of the latest 
information regarding breast cancer awareness, prevention and 
treatment.
  The Coalition has sponsored the Tower of Hope, which is a photo 
display of county breast cancer survivors dedicated to a charter member 
of the Coalition who is now deceased. The Tower is displayed in 
churches, libraries and the courthouse as a testimony to a courageous 
fight against a powerful disease.
  Another focus area has been community education. Placemats with the 
warning signs of cancer were used in about twenty restaurants around 
the county. Business owners as well as patrons reported positive 
feedback. In addition, the Coalition recently joined forces with the 
Tobacco Control Coalition to increase opportunities for promoting 
awareness.
  Mr. Speaker, it is with great admiration and pride that I honor this 
wonderful organization as well as these incredible women and their 
strides to beat this disease. This disease is the leading cancer sited 
in women, yet with proper awareness and prevention, this disease does 
not have to be the leading cause of cancer deaths among women between 
the ages of forty and fifty-nine years of age. With organizations like 
the Hampshire County Cancer Coalition, and amazing women survivors, 
there are rays of hope for people diagnosed with breast cancer.

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