[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 10]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 13427]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




      IN RECOGNITION OF THE MASSACHUSETTS BREAST CANCER COALITION

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. WILLIAM R. KEATING

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, August 2, 2012

  Mr. KEATING. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Against the Tide, 
a competitive race benefitting the Massachusetts Breast Cancer 
Coalition, MBCC, an organization dedicated to ending breast cancer.
   Breast cancer is the most common cancer and second leading cause of 
death for women. Studies estimate that in 2012, breast cancer will 
claim the lives of over 39,000 women in the United States. Statistics 
also show that approximately 1 in 8 women born today will be diagnosed 
with breast cancer at some point in their lifetime.
   The citizens of my home state of Massachusetts have been severely 
impacted by breast cancer. Our state has the highest incident rate of 
breast cancer in the United States, affecting 139.5 per 100,000 women 
in Massachusetts, as compared to a national average of 121.9 per 
100,000 women. Additionally, the highest incident rates of breast 
cancer are within the counties of Dukes, Nantucket and Barnstable, 
which are all located in my district.
   The Massachusetts Breast Cancer Coalition, the MBCC, was founded in 
1991 to combat breast cancer. The organization challenges the 
commercialization and exploitation of breast cancer by corporations 
which stand to profit from the disease and those companies whose 
products contain carcinogens linked to breast cancer. Its mission to 
combat cancer through prevention has led the MBCC to advocate the 
investigation of environmental links to breast cancer, to dispel 
misconceptions about the realities of breast cancer, and to reject the 
concept of breast cancer as a chronic disease.
   Through the funds raised by the Against the Tide race, the MBCC has 
been able to continue its cause to combat breast cancer. 2012 is the 
twentieth consecutive year the MBCC will hold this popular race, which 
unites people of all ages and backgrounds in a common fight against 
breast cancer.
   Mr. Speaker, please join me in applauding the efforts of the 
Massachusetts Breast Cancer Coalition to fight this devastating 
epidemic and wish them the best of luck for a successful race.

                          ____________________