[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 3]
[House]
[Page 4073]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      COLORECTAL CANCER AWARENESS

  (Mr. BOREN asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. BOREN. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of access to 
colorectal cancer screening for all Americans. The month of March is 
Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month.
  Like far too many other Americans, my life has been touched by 
cancer. Nine years ago I lost my mother, Janna, to colon cancer. I 
understand too well the importance of catching this type of cancer 
early. Colorectal cancer is one of the leading killers in the United 
States that will this year unnecessarily take the lives of almost 
50,000 of our constituents nationwide.
  This is a tragedy because we have every tool necessary to prevent the 
suffering and death from this disease. Only 22 States and the District 
of Columbia have protections in place to provide access to screening 
and early detection procedures for colorectal cancer. This is 
unacceptable. Lifesaving tests that are widely available and reliable 
should be accessible to each and every one of our constituents.
  Please join me in recognizing Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month and 
the importance of making early detection of this disease a priority.

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