[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 38 (Tuesday, March 16, 2010)]
[House]
[Page H1444]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      COLON CANCER AWARENESS MONTH

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Oklahoma (Mr. Boren) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BOREN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to remind Members of this body 
that the month of March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. During 
the month of March, colon cancer advocates across the country will 
organize and participate in a wide range of activities to raise 
awareness about this horrible disease. This year alone, almost 150,000 
Americans will be diagnosed with colon cancer, and approximately 50,000 
of them will die from it.
  Madam Speaker, it doesn't have to be that way. If detected early, the 
survival rate for colon cancer is almost 90 percent. Yet less than half 
of all Americans get the recommended preventive tests by the suggested 
age of 50.
  Colon cancer is an issue that is very personal to me; 12 years ago, I 
lost my mother Janna to this dreadful disease. And since arriving in 
Congress, I have made it one of my missions to bring attention to this 
serious yet preventable cancer. So for the next 3 weeks, I want Members 
of this body to ask themselves and their constituents two important 
questions: Have you asked your doctor if you should get a colonoscopy? 
Do you know that it could save your life?

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