[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 4]
[House]
[Page 5449]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     MARY ANN WASIL MEMORIAL TOAST

  (Ms. DeLAURO asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor and to celebrate the life 
of Mary Ann Wasil, one of my personal heroes and one of the strongest 
women I have ever known, who passed away earlier this month.
  Mary Ann possessed a tenacious spirit, an unyielding faith, a heart 
full of love, and an infectious smile. She was one of a kind. She was a 
police officer, an actor, a development officer for her church and its 
elementary school, and the founder of a nonprofit organization, a 
health activist, and a mother to three incredible children.
  Breast cancer was what took Mary Ann from us, but it is also what one 
of her lasting legacies was born from--a successful and much-needed 
breast health initiative, the Get in Touch Foundation. She was a vocal 
champion for the Affordable Care Act and access to high quality, 
affordable health care for all.
  In 2010, Mary Ann won a contract from Balboa Press to publish her 
memoir, ``A Diary of Healing: My Intense and Meaningful Life With 
Cancer.'' Throughout its pages, you can hear Mary Ann's laughter, you 
can feel her courage, and you will often find yourself crying with her, 
experiencing the twists and the turns of her journey.
  My heart goes out to Betsy, to Mary, and to Eddy. Your mother was 
quite simply an extraordinary human being, activist, author, mentor, 
friend, and mother. She lives on in our hearts forever.

                          ____________________