[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 7]
[House]
[Page 8750]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




    A TRIBUTE TO REPRESENTATIVE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ--TENACIOUS COURAGE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Poe) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, it is not every day that Members of 
this Chamber come to the floor and share personal stories of sacrifice 
and ultimately triumph. But this week, a colleague of mine that I 
deeply admire and respect came to this floor and did just that, and I 
think she deserves to be recognized for her tenacious courage and even 
her willingness to be vulnerable.
  We both came into Congress the same year, but we come from different 
parts of the country, we are of different parties, and we don't always 
agree on the answers for the issues the people of our Nation face every 
day.
  Even so, as we in the people's House continue to busily deal with our 
national concerns, we should never fail to recognize the courageous 
that are among us, those who are bold and strong.

                              {time}  1615

  Let me explain, Mr. Speaker. This Monday, the gentlelady from Florida 
(Ms. Wasserman Schultz) shared with us a deeply moving story about the 
personal battle that she has had with breast cancer. It is a situation 
that many of our mothers, wives and daughters have also struggled with. 
About 1 year ago, Ms. Wasserman Schultz was diagnosed with breast 
cancer. And after medical treatment and, in the end, surgery, the 
cancer was removed from her body and she is now cancer free.
  What makes Representative Wasserman Schultz so remarkable is the way 
she responded to this difficult situation. Rather than become 
discouraged by her circumstances, she decided she was going to help 
other women who might also be battling breast cancer and other forms of 
cancer that really affect America's women.
  So, this week she is introducing legislation meant to empower women 
to know how to deal with breast cancer and teach women and doctors 
alike about the risk factors and the warning signs. I was pleased to 
become one of the first cosponsors of this legislation to make 
America's women healthier.
  Mr. Speaker, I don't know how many people who would have the courage 
to use their own personal story to help change the lives of others. But 
as the father of three daughters and the grandfather of four girls, it 
doesn't surprise me that it is a woman who is setting the example for 
the rest of us. Representative Wasserman Schultz is a model of courage 
and conviction. I'm proud to serve along with her in the people's 
House.
  My grandmother used to tell me that nothing is more powerful than a 
woman that has made up her mind. Grandma was right. And Debbie 
Wasserman Schultz is one of those women who has faced the enemy of 
cancer, fought it, defeated it and has made up her mind to help other 
women of this Nation do the same.
  And that's just the way it is.

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