[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 2 (Friday, January 5, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E29]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               THE IMPORTANCE OF BREAST CANCER AWARENESS

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CHRISTOPHER SHAYS

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, January 5, 2007

  Mr. SHAYS. Madam Speaker, breast cancer is the second leading cause 
of cancer death among American women and more than 40,000 women will 
die from breast cancer this year alone. Three of four women diagnosed 
with breast cancer have no known risk--no family history.
  While the diagnosis rate of this cancer continues to increase, I am 
thankful the breast cancer death rate is steadily decreasing, which is 
in large part due to advancing medical treatments and an increase in 
early detection. By continuing to support breast cancer research and 
early diagnosis, we can help bring an end to this disease that takes a 
new life once every fourteen minutes.
  In recognition of last year's Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Karen 
Stevenson, a resident of New Canaan, Connecticut, gave an address at 
the launch of the ``Paint the Town Pink'' program at New Canaan Town 
Hall. I submit the text of Ms. Stevenson's remarks to be entered into 
the Record.

       Good morning. Active and healthy--definitely much more fit 
     than I am now--with no history of the disease in the family, 
     I was completely blindsided by a breast cancer diagnosis 5 
     years ago based on an unusual mammogram result. I had a 
     mastectomy and reconstructive surgery followed by 5 months of 
     chemotherapy. My daughters were 7 and 10 at the time.
       With the warm generosity of family, friends and colleagues 
     who supplied moral support, hugs, and many a meal to help 
     maintain normalcy in the girls' routine at home, we navigated 
     through that difficult period and came out the other side.
       The kids were troopers. To this day they still find such 
     humor in telling the story of Mom having melted her wig on 
     Thanksgiving Day with a sudden blast of heat from the oven 
     while basting.
       My situation is not unique, but rather, representative of 
     what so many women in our community have faced.
       I shared the first few weeks of chemo with a group of 
     spectacular women and we quickly banded together to help 
     carry one another through the various rounds of surgeries, 
     chemo, radiation, genetic testing, additional surgeries, and 
     follow-on treatments in all the years since.
       Licia, a young professional diagnosed only 4 months after 
     being married,
       Kerry, an exceptionally talented marketing director, artist 
     and mom, diagnosed only 1 week before giving birth to her 
     second child,
       Debbie, a teacher and beautiful mother of three young 
     school children,
       Julia, a NYC actress and mother of two teenagers,
       Chris, an attorney and mother of two pre-school daughters.
       Of note, while we were a randomly assembled group of six, 
     four of us were under 35 years old and all of us were under 
     age 43.
       Breast cancer is everywhere and I'm sure you can each add 
     several names of patients and loved ones to the growing list. 
     While the topic doesn't typically surface in casual 
     conversation it always amazes me how often we discover this 
     common sisterhood.
       While the diagnosis itself is daunting, we are the 
     fortunate beneficiaries of the drug trials and experiences of 
     the many who have gone before us over the past 20 years, and 
     as a result, there are many more treatment options available, 
     as well as access to solid information about their efficacy 
     and managing side effects. In my case and for many others, 
     early detection and the rapidly evolving treatment have 
     ensured we can continue to attend the soccer games and school 
     plays, host family holidays and be here to enjoy our 
     families.
       The harsh reality is that even the treatments available 
     today are not successful for all of us and the implication of 
     later diagnosis is significantly added risk. It is 
     just heartbreaking to watch so many vibrant women in our 
     community struggle and suffer for years, exhausting 
     treatment options that will hold back their cancer and 
     pain while trying to continue care for their families.
       We are so fortunate to live in an area with such excellent 
     access to quality care locally--for regular check-ups, for 
     mobile mammograms, and should it be necessary, for both 
     proven and innovative cancer treatments. But we must take 
     advantage of that access!
       Ask yourself tonight as you are tucking your children into 
     bed . . . or talking to your college student via phone this 
     weekend . . . or watching your grandson's football game . . . 
     Are you willing to put this in jeopardy unnecessarily when it 
     takes only an hour of your time to make and keep a screening 
     appointment? As you walk past the waves of pink on Elm and 
     Main Streets, won't you take a pledge today to ensure all the 
     important women in your life make this a priority?
       On behalf of all of those who have been touched personally 
     by Breast Cancer--and I'm sure there are many here today--we 
     offer our profound thanks to the merchants of New Canaan and 
     to Janet Blaylock and the team of volunteers she has 
     mobilized. Your efforts to Paint the Town Pink for a weeks in 
     October as a collective call to action will most certainly be 
     a positive turning point in the lives of many families in our 
     community.

                          ____________________