[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 83 (Thursday, June 4, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1316]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            HONORING ANNUAL SUSAN G. KOMEN RACE FOR THE CURE

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                         HON. LAURA RICHARDSON

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 3, 2009

  Ms. RICHARDSON. Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H. 
Con. Res. 109, honoring the 20th Anniversary of the Susan G. Komen Race 
for the Cure in the Nation's Capital and its transition to the Susan G. 
Komen Global Race for the Cure on June 6, 2009. I'd like to thank 
Chairman Waxman and the gentleman from Virginia, Representative 
Connolly, for bringing this resolution to the Floor today. It is my 
strong hope that twenty years from today we will be celebrating the 
cure and marveling at all the lives that have been saved.
  Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in women 
worldwide, with more as than 1.3 million diagnosed each year. It is 
also the leading cause of death among women, 465,000 die each year 
worldwide. Breast cancer is a disease that knows no boundaries based on 
age, ethnicity, geographic location or socio-economic status. 
Fortunately, the United States has 2.5 million breast cancer survivors 
and we need to work together to educate our community and encourage 
participation in screenings and mammograms.
  Madam Speaker, Nancy Brinker promised her dying sister, Susan G. 
Komen, that she would do everything possible to eradicate breast 
cancer. By launching Susan G. Komen for the Cure in 1982, a movement 
began and more than $1.3 billion in breast cancer research, education, 
and community health services has been invested by this organization. 
Today, Susan G. Komen for the Cure is the largest grassroots network 
fighting breast cancer and is led by thousands of survivors. Local 
activists are present in 125 communities and have mobilized one million 
friends for events such as the Komen Race for the Cure. Komen is a 
unique organization where 75 percent of the net proceeds stay in the 
communities where they were raised. The remaining 25 percent of the 
funds are given to Komen's National Grant Program, an innovative leader 
in breast cancer research. Because of publicly and privately funded 
research, the five-year survival rate for women with localized breast 
cancer has increased. In the 1950s, the survival rate was 80 percent 
and last year the survival rate grew to 98 percent. Last year, the 
Komen Race for the Cure raised an unprecedented $3.7 million in the 
National Capital area. As the National Race for the Cure becomes the 
Global Race for the Cure, we will work with our partners around the 
world to eradicate breast cancer, a disease that affects everyone in 
some way.
  As we celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the Race for the Cure in the 
Nation's Capital, we will not rest until a cure is found. I urge all 
Members to join me in supporting H. Con. Res. 109 and honor the women 
and men who have lost their lives to breast cancer, and celebrate the 
survivors and friends who are participating in the Global Race for the 
Cure. I yield the remainder of my time.

                          ____________________