Lisa Murkowski: “Every 3 minutes, a woman somewhere in the United States is diagnosed with breast cancer. Every 12 minutes, the same…”

“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.”