[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 203 (Wednesday, December 13, 2017)]
[House]
[Page H9848]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      GOD WORKS IN MYSTERIOUS WAYS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Alabama (Mr. Brooks) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BROOKS of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, this is a very difficult speech 
for me to give.
  God works in mysterious ways.
  When you are an elected official, missed votes require an 
explanation. That is why I disclose this otherwise very personal, very 
private, and very humbling matter.
  On Halloween night, after votes, as I stood on the Capitol steps, my 
doctor called and said: Congressman Brooks, bad news. You have high-
risk prostate cancer. I felt an adrenaline rush as a chill went up and 
down my spine.
  By way of background, prostate cancer kills almost 27,000 American 
men each year and is the third leading cause of cancer deaths behind 
only lung and colorectal cancers. Seventy-one percent of prostate 
cancer patients die in less than 5 years if the prostate cancer has 
spread beyond the abdominal cavity. In stark contrast, almost all 
prostate cancer patients live longer than 5 years if the cancer is 
discovered early and killed before it spreads.
  For example, my father discovered his prostate cancer early. He lived 
four decades after his prostatectomy. My grandfather discovered his 
prostate cancer too late. He died not long thereafter.
  After my doctor's diagnosis, I called my wife, Martha, who was back 
home in Huntsville welcoming trick-or-treaters and shared the bad news. 
That night was one of the loneliest nights apart in our 41-year 
marriage. I kept thinking about my wonderful family: What do I do next? 
How do I beat this cancer?
  Overnight, I formed a plan and began implementing it.
  In an emotional meeting, I informed my Washington staff of my cancer, 
that I was immediately flying to Huntsville after a CT scan that 
afternoon, and that, for medical reasons, I would be in Alabama the 
rest of the week.
  Based on advice from friends and doctors, I chose Dr. Scott Tully as 
my treating physician. Dr. Tully is widely respected and has performed 
more than 3,000 prostatectomies. On Thursday, Martha and I drove to 
Birmingham to obtain Dr. Tully's insight about treatment options and 
risks. He advised a radical prostatectomy.
  At Dr. Tully's direction, I undertook a heart stress test and a 
nuclear bone scan. Finally, I got some good news. My CT scan and 
nuclear bone scan revealed no cancer beyond the prostate. My heart 
stress test confirmed that I am strong enough to undergo the 2- to 3-
hour surgery.
  Prostate cancer mortality data is compelling. Speed is critical in 
the fight against prostate cancer. In compliance with the 2017 House 
calendar that set end-of-year votes on December 14, and at some risk to 
myself, Dr. Tully and I delayed my surgery until December 15--this 
Friday--and set a postsurgery medical procedure for December 20. My 
plan was to recuperate at home during the holidays with my family and 
return to Washington for a full workload when Congress reconvenes on 
January 3.
  Unfortunately, last week the House Speaker abruptly changed the House 
voting calendar that I relied on to set my surgery. As a result, next 
week I will miss House floor votes unless I am unexpectedly medically 
cleared to travel.
  There are three insights from my experience that I wish to share with 
the public. First, don't ever, ever take your health or family for 
granted. During the holidays, enjoy your family because no one--no 
one--is promised tomorrow.
  Second, I encourage age-appropriate men to have regular PSA tests. 
While PSA tests do not diagnose cancer, my PSA spike persuaded me to 
have the prostate biopsy that revealed my high-risk prostate cancer 
early enough for me to enjoy a very good cure prognosis.
  Third, I ran for the Senate in 2017. I finished third out of nine 
candidates in the Republican primary. Had I won, I would not have had 
time for my physical and PSA test. I would not have had a prostate 
biopsy. I would not now know about my high-risk prostate cancer that 
requires immediate surgery.
  In retrospect, and paradoxically, losing the Senate race may have 
saved my life. Yes, God does work in mysterious ways.

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