Recognizing Vice Mayor Felicia M. Brunson

Floor Speech

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Ms. WILSON of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and pay tribute to Vice Mayor Felicia M. Brunson, chairman of West Park Relay For Life, in West Park, Florida. Relay For Life is the main volunteer- driven cancer fundraising event of the American Cancer Society.

Vice Mayor Brunson lost her grandmother to breast cancer in 1996. In 2006 she formed West Park Relay For Life. Through community-based fundraising and little corporate sponsorship, West Park Relay For Life has raised more than $150,000 in the fight against breast cancer.

In 2010, Vice Mayor Brunson was the driving force behind the City of West Park designating the third week in October as ``Paint the City Pink Week.''

Experts estimate that about one out of every eight women born today will be diagnosed with breast cancer at some time during her life. The strongest risk factor for breast cancer is age. A woman's risk of developing this disease increases as she gets older. However, thanks to improvements in cancer treatment and early detection, millions of women and thousands of men are surviving breast cancer today.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in the United States, other than skin cancer. It is the second leading cause of cancer death in women, after lung cancer. The disease occurs almost entirely in women, but men can get it, too. Today, there are more than 2.9 million breast cancer survivors in the United States.

I am honored to recognize Vice Mayor Felicia M. Brunson for her dedication and commitment to empowering women in the fight against breast cancer.

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