Breast Cancer Awareness Month

BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH

Ms. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, every 3 minutes, a woman somewhere in the United States is diagnosed with breast cancer.

Every 12 minutes, the same disease steals away another person's mother, wife, companion, or friend.

According to the National Cancer Institute, breast cancer is the most common form of cancer among women in the United States, and second only to lung cancer as the leading cause of cancer deaths.

In my home State of Alaska it was predicted that another 300 women this year would hear their doctor tell them "you have breast cancer".

I don't personally know the thoughts that run through these women's minds at that moment, but I think the best thing that we can do is to make sure that the next thing that doctor can say is "you caught it early enough—we can cure it."

Medical science says that the key to beating this cancer is early detection and early intervention. That's why it's vitally important for women to be aware of this disease.

Women need to be vigilant, and need to follow medical recommendations regarding mammograms and self-exams. We have a number of courageous women in Alaska who fought breast cancer and are sharing their experiences with other women, increasing awareness of the condition.

Alaskan survivors including Carla Williams and world-class dog musher Dee Dee Jonrowe make time in their schedules to come and advocate on behalf of those whose lives have been touched by breast cancer, and they are doing a great job of raising awareness

We must continue this fight to increase awareness not only during October, National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, but year round, and I thank my colleagues for the chance to speak about National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.