On Wednesday, September 15, 2010, in a unanimous show of support, the House of Representatives voted in favor of a House Resolution sponsored by Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (a BRCA2 positive breast cancer survivor) to designate the last week of September as National Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer Week and the last Wednesday of the month as National Previvor Day.
The following are the beginning of Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz's remarks on the House Floor just prior to the vote today:
Madame Speaker, I rise today to offer House Resolution 1522, expressing support for designation of the last week of September as National Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer Week and the last Wednesday of September as National Previvor Day. Of all the cancers that affect women, roughly 10 percent of cases are caused by genetic factors. Though this percentage is relatively small, the risk for this group is huge. Women with hereditary risk factors for breast cancer carry an 85 percent lifetime risk of developing the disease. For ovarian cancer, most women have a 1.5 percent life-time chance of developing the disease. But for those with hereditary risk factors, that chance can be as high as 50 percent. As I learned almost three years ago, I am one of those women. Together with my colleagues and the inspirational organizations including Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered (FORCE), Bright Pink, and the Young Survival Coalition, this resolution gives a voice to these women and brings awareness ...The full text of the resolution can be found here.
Thank you Representative Wasserman Schultz for caring so much about our community and about preventing these cancers in women through raising awareness.
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