U.S. Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz is Our Wings of Justice Winner For Going Far Beyond Wearing a Pink Ribbon

WINGS OF JUSTICE

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL)

When Debbie Wasserman Schultz announced the introduction of legislation aimed at increasing knowledge about and early detection of breast cancer in young women, she was talking about an issue close to her heart. Very close.

"A little more than a year ago, after I found a lump in my breast while doing a routine self-exam, my doctor diagnosed me with breast cancer," Wasserman Schultz wrote in a personal note reflecting upon the legislation. "As any breast cancer patient will tell you, it is a time when you feel you have very little control. I chose to manage my breast cancer and get through the last year privately, with my family and close friends around me."

Wasserman had her lump successfully removed, but her doctor found she tested positive for a certain genetic mutation that predisposes her to breast cancer. Even though none of her immediate family members had breast cancer, her Ashkenazi Jewish heritage put her into an at-risk category.

To avoid a recurrence of breast cancer as well as the development of cervical cancer, Wasserman Schultz made a very difficult choice. She decided to have a double mastectomy and have her ovaries removed. All along, she didn't reveal her condition publicly and scheduled seven surgeries within Congressional recesses so as not to miss any House votes.

Instead of just wearing pink and counting herself as a breast cancer survivor, Wasserman Schultz decided to use her status as a U.S. congresswoman to try and help others. On Monday, she introduced the Breast Cancer Education and Awareness Requires Learning Young (EARLY) Act to direct the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to conduct an educational campaign not only urging women ages 15 to 39 to do breast self-exams, but also to be aware of their own genetic makeup and personal cancer risk.

Young women are often more at risk for deadly breast cancer than older women because they and their doctors are often less vigilant in detecting the disease. Furthermore, breast cancer is often more aggressive among younger women. Wasserman Schultz, who had just had her first mammogram at age 41 shortly before she found the lump in her own breast, wants to give younger women the same tools she had in battling breast cancer.

"It just pains me to know that younger women, because they don't know and because they're blown off by physicians many times, and because they squeeze their eyes shut and hope that it's nothing, that their death rate is much higher,'' she told McClatchy News Service.

The bill also provides funding for groups that help young women with the unique challenges of post-breast cancer life, such as reconstructive surgery and dealing with changes to their reproductive lives.

Wasserman Schultz is cancer-free now, but according to the congresswoman, it has nothing to do with good fortune:

"Some people might say I was lucky. While I certainly was fortunate enough to have access to good health care, I didn't find my tumor early because of luck. I found my tumor early because of knowledge and awareness. I knew that I should perform breast self-exams, and I was aware of what my body was supposed to feel like. We need to ensure that every young woman in America can rely on more than luck. Their survival depends on it."

WINGS OF JUSTICE

Nominated by BuzzFlash staff. To see a full list of past Wings of Justice honorees, click here.

Click here for the American Cancer Society's instructions on how to perform a breast self-exam.

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