Lucille Roybal-Allard: “As National Breast Cancer Awareness Month comes to a close, I rise to honor our breast cancer warriors who are bravely…”

“As National Breast Cancer Awareness Month comes to a close, I rise to honor our breast cancer warriors who are bravely battling this deadly disease. According to the American Cancer Society, approximately 2.6 million women and men are living with breast cancer in this country. It is estimated that this year alone there will be 290,000 new cases of breast cancer, and almost 40,000 patients will lose their battle with this disease. Until 5 years ago I would hear these statistics, sympathize with personal stories of suffering from this tragic disease, and reaffirm my commitment to support finding a cure. But I never fully understood what it meant to have a family diagnosed with breast cancer until the day my sister, Lillian, called to tell me she had breast cancer. At that moment, I fully understood the personal sense of helplessness, anguish, and disbelief that had been described to me so many times before. Now I, too, found myself hoping and praying that I would wake up from the nightmare that was my sister's reality. Like so many other breast cancer warriors, Lillian bravely confronted her cancer, determined to overcome her devastating illness and the intensely physical and deeply emotional challenge it presented. As my sister moves towards her fifth year free of cancer, there is much to be hopeful for. From 1998 to 2007, breast cancer incidence rates in the U.S.…”