[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 11]
[House]
[Page 15845]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Florida (Ms. Wasserman Schultz) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Breast 
Cancer Awareness Month for millions of us in the breast cancer 
community.
  The statistics are sobering: one in eight women will get breast 
cancer in her lifetime.
  Earlier this year, I received a note from a former staffer. I had 
watched this young woman blossom from a young and eager intern to 
ultimately serving as my executive assistant and scheduler before she 
departed the Hill for graduate school, marriage, and a future full of 
promise. In the note, she wrote:
  ``My wedding was about 2 months ago. It was the most magical night of 
my life. It was so incredible to be surrounded by so many friends and 
loved ones and good will. I can't imagine ever being happier than I was 
that night.''
  She went on to say:
  ``Unfortunately, things have gotten a little more complicated since 
then. While I was on my honeymoon, I noticed a small lump in my right 
breast. Since I had the benefit of working for you, I know that, while 
rare, it is possible that young women can get breast cancer, and I 
should take it seriously. I think you can probably guess where this is 
going . . .''
  She continued:
  ``We have no idea how this happened to me. I guess some people get 
struck by lightning, some people are deathly allergic to peanuts, and 
some people get breast cancer at 29 with no family history.
  ``Luckily, it was caught early and the doctors have every confidence 
that it is fully curable and I will live a long and happy life.''
  She ended the note by thanking me for advocating for breast cancer 
awareness, specifically for younger women.
  She said:
  ``DWS,'' as I am often referred to by staff, ``keep fighting the good 
fight. It is saving the lives of people like me.''
  Today, she is fighting the good fight, and I know she will win.
  Unfortunately, just like my former staffer, I know all too well that 
it can strike even when you are young. In 2007, when I was only 41 
years old, I learned I had breast cancer.
  Like many others before me, when I was diagnosed, and later 
identified as a BRCA2 gene mutation carrier, I worried about many 
things: Would I be there to see my children grow up? Would I be able to 
beat this disease? Wasn't I too young to have breast cancer?
  Fortunately, with the passage of the ACA--the Affordable Care Act--
insurance coverage cannot be taken away from people like me and like my 
former staffer. Access to affordable, quality healthcare is now a 
right, not a privilege.
  As Members of Congress, we have a duty to protect this right. Instead 
of calling for senseless votes to repeal this legislation, I call on my 
Republican colleagues to join me in recognizing Breast Cancer Awareness 
Month by supporting those of us who are living healthier, stronger 
lives every day because of the Affordable Care Act.
  The statistics for breast cancer remain alarming. The American Cancer 
Society estimates that 40,610 women will die from breast cancer in 2017 
alone, making it the second most common type of cancer death in women.
  Between the ages of 60 and 84, breast cancer incidence rates are 
markedly higher in White women than Black women. However, Black women 
have a higher incidence rate before age 45, and are more likely to die 
from breast cancer at every age. This is wholly unacceptable.
  We must take action to provide women with the preventative services 
and screenings available while educating them on their risks and 
treatment options.
  That is why, in 2009, I introduced the EARLY Act, a bipartisan bill 
that became law as part of the Affordable Care Act, to focus on 
equipping young women with the tools they need to make informed 
decisions regarding their breast health.
  I am proud that the EARLY Act was reauthorized in 2014, and even more 
proud that it has, and is, helping young women like my former staffer.
  This Congress, I also introduced the PALS Act with my good friend 
from Indiana, Congresswoman Susan Brooks.
  This bill would extend the moratorium on the United States Preventive 
Services Task Force mammography screening guidelines to ensure women 
have access to lifesaving mammograms beginning at age 40.
  It would also ensure women who have served our country--our women 
veterans--don't have to face these same obstacles in getting the care 
they and their healthcare providers deem necessary.
  Because many insurance companies use the USPSTF guidelines as the 
basis for coverage, 22 million women between ages 40 and 49 could be at 
risk of losing coverage for this lifesaving screening.
  The bottom line is the vast majority of experts recommend beginning 
screening mammograms at age 40. Women need to be able to follow this 
guidance until scientific consensus can be reached.
  As someone who was diagnosed at just age 41, I can tell you that 
women need guaranteed access to these tests beginning at age 40.
  We must also ensure the National Institutes of Health has the funding 
it needs to continue their progress.
  I will continue to use my voice and my vote as an appropriator to 
ensure that critical funding is provided through the annual 
appropriations bill for breast cancer research, services, and support.
  My story and my former staffer's story isn't unique. That is why we 
must do more to support our mothers, sisters, daughters, and friends 
who are battling or who have survived this deadly disease. And we must 
do everything we can to eradicate breast cancer once and for all.
  I look forward to continuing to work together with all of you--my 
colleagues on both sides of the aisle--and with the advocacy community 
to help women know their risk, discover cancer early, and access the 
best treatment possible.

                          ____________________