[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 148 (Wednesday, September 14, 2022)]
[House]
[Page H7792]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1045
                    NATIONAL HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Nebraska (Mr. Bacon) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BACON. Madam Speaker, I rise today during Hispanic Heritage Month 
to recognize Carolina Padilla and the Intercultural Senior Center in my 
district.
  Historically, National Hispanic Heritage Month has been a way to 
appreciate the contributions and influence Hispanic Americans have made 
to our history, culture, and achievements of the United States. I can 
think of no better way to recognize the achievements of Hispanic 
Americans in our district than by recognizing Carolina and the 
Intercultural Senior Center, which provides language interpretation, 
cultural insight, community events, as well as social workers, to 
better connect community members with outside resources.
  Carolina, who was born in Guatemala City, immigrated to Omaha, 
Nebraska, in 1993 with her husband and three children. She then started 
her career in the United States by spending 12 years working for One 
World Community Health Center, a nonprofit primary healthcare facility. 
During her time at One World, she worked in a variety of health 
departments in both administrative and leadership positions.
  Additionally, she worked for Catholic Charities, where she was the 
director of their Latina Resource Center. In this role, she worked to 
develop social service programs for women in need of assistance with 
English as their second language, as well as women facing issues of 
domestic violence.
  During this time, Carolina realized that one segment of the 
population, the Latino elders, were largely overlooked and underserved. 
Inspired by her aging family in Guatemala and her need to serve others 
within her own community, Carolina founded the Intercultural Senior 
Center in 2009 in the Latino neighborhood of South Omaha. The 
Intercultural Senior Center, however, has extended much farther than 
the Latino community as it now welcomes refugee communities, including 
Sudan, Somalia, Bhutan, Nepal, Afghanistan, Ukraine, and Burma, as well 
as native English speakers.
  Today, the Intercultural Senior Center is a unique place where 
seniors find enrichment and belonging, regardless of language, 
ethnicity, race, sexual orientation, socioeconomic background, and any 
other differences that too often create separation and isolation.
  As Omaha's population ages and becomes more diverse, Ms. Padilla's 
mission and the Intercultural Senior Center will continue to embrace 
the elderly and bring awareness to the community about the aging 
population.
  Congratulations again to Carolina Padilla and the Intercultural 
Senior Center on this amazing work you are doing within the Omaha 
community.


                     Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month

  Mr. BACON. Madam Speaker, I rise today during Ovarian Cancer 
Awareness Month to recognize women who have been diagnosed with ovarian 
cancer who have either survived or, unfortunately, lost their hard-
fought battle. A rare but deadly disease, only about 19,880 women will 
receive a new diagnosis this year; but this past March, our 
communications director, Danielle Jensen was one of them.
  The deadliest of the reproductive cancers, only 20 percent are 
diagnosed early in stages I or II, with a 5-year survival rate of over 
93 percent. Unfortunately, the majority of cases are diagnosed in 
stages III or IV, and the survival rate can be as low as 30 percent.
  The risk of a woman getting ovarian cancer is about 1 in 78 in her 
lifetime, and it is estimated that 12,810 women will lose their lives 
to ovarian cancer this year. Fortunately, Danielle was diagnosed at 
stage II and has recently completed chemotherapy.
  There are several factors that can increase the risk of ovarian 
cancer. Age is the biggest one. Half of all ovarian cancers are found 
in women 63 years of age and older. Another is if a woman has never 
carried a pregnancy to full term or had a child after the age of 35. 
Hormone replacement therapy, a family history of ovarian, breast, or 
colorectal cancer, or a personal history of breast cancer are also risk 
factors.
  There is no reliable screening or diagnostic test for ovarian cancer, 
so it is important to know the signs and symptoms, which includes back 
pain, bloating, frequent urination, feeling full quickly after eating, 
fatigue, upset stomach, heartburn, or constipation, pelvic or abdominal 
pain, or changes in the menstrual cycle. While these symptoms are most 
likely not signs of cancer, they should be of concern if they don't go 
away after two weeks following normal interventions such as changing 
diet and exercise. It is because of this that ovarian cancer is often 
referred to as the silent killer.
  There are different treatments for ovarian cancer. Danielle had 
surgery and she went through six cycles of chemotherapy to kill any 
cancer cells that may have been left. Some women will also undergo 
radiation to treat it.
  Finally, we are just thankful that Danielle was diagnosed early when 
she was and is on the path of being a survivor.

                          ____________________