Recognizing Patricia Johnson

Floor Speech

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Ms. WILSON of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and pay tribute to Patricia Johnson, a breast cancer survivor, and co-founder of the Tenaciously Pink Cancer Support Group at Trinity Church, in Miami Gardens, Florida.

Ms. Johnson was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2008. After many years of activism and an advocacy for breast cancer awareness, Ms. Johnson helped found the Tenaciously Pink Cancer Support Group in May of 2012. The support group meets every fourth Sunday. Its mission is to provide spiritual one-on-one support to people undergoing treatment for cancer and comfort the patients, care givers, and their families. Tenaciously Pink also hopes to enable cancer patients/survivors and supporters to look beyond the diagnoses, cope with treatments, and resume living life to its fullest.

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 the work Ms. Johnson is doing and 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 Patricia Johnson, a breast cancer survivor and co-founder of the Tenaciously Pink Support Groups, for her dedication and commitment to our community and the fight against breast cancer.

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