Walz Supports Women's Health Bills.

U.S. Representative Tim Walz, D-Minn., has agreed to cosponsor two important women’s health bills, according to his spokesperson.

Walz will add his name as a cosponsor of the Ovarian Cancer Biomarker Research Act of 2009 and the reauthorization of Johanna’s Law, said Meredith Salsbery, director of communications for Rep. Walz.

“The Congressman has been and continues to be a tireless advocate for cancer research in hopes of some day finding a cure,” Salsbery said. “He closely evaluated these two bills and decided they deserved his support in addition to the other cancer research bills and efforts he supports.”

Salsbery stated Walz decided to support the bills after being contacted by a concerned constituent.

Constituent participation in the legislative process is important, according to Salsbery.

“Every Congress there are thousands of bills introduced, which is why it is essential for constituents to share with us which bills are important to them,” Salsbery said.

H.R. 1816, the Ovarian Cancer Biomarker Research Act of 2009 is to provide additional funding for research into an early detection ovarian cancer test.

There is currently no early detection test for ovarian cancer.

Ovarian cancer has a survival rate of more than 90 percent if detected early. Only 19 percent of ovarian cancer cases are found early, according to the American Cancer Society.

H.R. 2941 will reauthorize Johanna’s Law, which will expand the national gynecologic cancer education and awareness campaign.

Setting the Stage for a Battle of Epic Proportion.

I had a wide range of emotions while watching the NBC Nightly News report on ovarian cancer last Tuesday.

The most prominent of those emotions were anger and guilt.

I was angry because of the lack of development of a test to detect ovarian cancer in its early stages. That anger quickly faded to guilt.

I was guilty of ignorance. I was guilty of failing my own education. The cardinal rule of mass communication is to ask questions. I never asked questions. I took my mom’s diagnosis and went along for the ride.

I was guilty of blaming my mom. For years I had assumed there was a test she had never undergone. I assumed her cancer was diagnosed at a late stage because of something she had failed to do.

I was guilty of being a bad son because deep down inside, I blamed her. Had she undergone the test, she would still be here. I was mad at my mom because she died. The guilt of being angry with my mom since she died was unbearable.

Towards the end of the report, NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams advised viewers to go to the website for more information. I needed to know more. I had to clear my conscience. I had to know more.

I soaked it all in like a sponge.

I watched the videos on the website intently. Many of the videos were personal stories from women with ovarian cancer.

I followed a link to the National Institutes of Health’s National Cancer Institute website. I learned that there is no early detection test for ovarian cancer. I learned that ovarian cancer has a survival rate of more than 90 percent if detected early. I learned that early detection of ovarian cancer happens in less than 20 percent of cases. In women age 35-74, ovarian cancer is the fifth leading cause of cancer-related deaths. An estimated one woman in 58 will develop ovarian cancer during her lifetime. I learned that the American Cancer Society estimated that in 2008, there would be 21,650 new cases of ovarian cancer and 15,520 women would die from ovarian cancer. I needed to learn more.

A quick search led me to the website of the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition. The information I learned further reinforced the facts that I had learned on the news and at the NIH website.

The NOCC website has a legislative action page. It was on this page that I learned about a few bills that had been introduced in the House of Representatives and the Senate.

A light clicked on.

I may not be able to beat ovarian cancer or develop an early detection method but there was something I could do. My college degree was in public relations and my minor was political science. I spent two years working around politics and some of my best friends still work for Members of Congress.

I decided on a course of action. I needed to research the bills and see how many cosponsors each one had. Once I knew that information my next goal would be to recruit more Members to sign onto these bills.

There are two bills in the House of Representatives and one bill in the Senate. The bill in the Senate (S. 755) is a companion bill to one in the House (H.R. 1816).

The first bill is known as H.R. 1816 in the House and S. 755 in the Senate, The Ovarian Cancer Biomarker Research Act of 2009. The Congressional Research Service summary states:

Ovarian Cancer Biomarker Research Act of 2009 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Director of the National Cancer Institute to enter into cooperative agreements with, or make grants to, public or nonprofit entities to establish and operate Ovarian Cancer Biomarker Centers of Excellence to conduct research on biomarkers for use in risk stratification for, and the early detection and screening of, ovarian cancer, focusing on translational research of such biomarkers. Permits federal funds to be used for research on: (1) the development and characterization of new biomarkers and the refinement of existing biomarkers; (2) the clinical and laboratory validation of such biomarkers; (3) the development and implementation of clinical and epidemiological research on the utilization of such biomarkers; (4) the development and implementation of repositories for new tissue, urine, serum, and other biological specimens; and (5) genetics, proteomics, and pathways of ovarian cancer as they relate to the discovery and development of biomarkers. Requires the Director to: (1) make available for research banked serum and tissue specimens from clinical research regarding ovarian cancer that was funded by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS); and (2) establish an Ovarian Cancer Biomarker Clinical Trial Committee to assist in designing and implementing national clinical trials to determine the utility of using such biomarkers. Requires a national data center to be established in, and supported by, the Institute to conduct statistical analyses of trial data and to store such analyses and data, which shall be used to establish clinical guidelines to provide the medical community with information regarding the use of validated biomarkers.

The second bill is H.R. 2941, To reauthorize and enhance Johanna's Law to increase public awareness and knowledge with respect to gynecologic cancers. The Congressional Research Service summary states:

Amends the Public Health Service Act to extend through FY2012 the current authorization of appropriations for the national public awareness campaign for gynecologic cancers (Johanna's law). Authorizes appropriations in subsequent fiscal years at levels necessary to carry out such campaign. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to: (1) collaborate with nonprofit gynecologic cancer organizations to provide gynecologic cancer information and outreach services; and (2) make grants to nonprofit private entities to carry out demonstration projects to test outreach and education strategies to increase the awareness and knowledge of women and health care providers regarding gynecologic cancers.

I read all the information I could on these bills. It was while researching them on the Library of Congress website that I looked to see who had signed on as cosponsors.

Much to my surprise, not one member of the Minnesota delegation had signed on as cosponsors to H.R. 1816 / S. 755.

Two members of the Minnesota delegation, Reps. Oberstar and Ellison were cosponsors of H.R. 2941.

I was surprised that no one else was on these bills. I promptly fired off an email to Rep. Tim Walz’s state director, Meredith Salsbery. I asked her why the congressman wasn’t on those bills and if there was anything I could do to persuade him to sign them. She stated that she would look into it and would let me know promptly.

I felt like I had taken the first step in waging a war against my mom’s killer.

I would pick up the torch where she dropped it when she fell.

I have decided the next step is to raise an army of fighters. One voice can be ignored. An army of hundreds can quickly multiply and cannot be ignored.

Without early detection this disease will continue to kill thousands of women every year. We cannot waste any more time.

The time for war is now.

This is a righteous fight that we cannot afford to lose. Please join me – in honor of my mother and the thousands who died before her and the thousands who will die after her.

Knocking The Rust Off

It feels strange sitting down to write.

This used to feel natural. I can feel rust binding up the gears as I attempt to put words on paper. I hope I can knock the rust off. I haven’t really written anything since my mom’s funeral a year ago.

I was a good writer. If you gave me an hour I could put together my thoughts on just about anything. My college professors and friends would all be shocked to learn that the loss of my mom took away my voice and my ability to write.

I have tried to write but my mind couldn’t handle it. The depression made it too hard. A good friend, Sally Jo Sorensen, asked me to write something for her. She tried to help me out of my funk. She pushed me to write. It took weeks to put out a decent piece. I would turn in some half-hearted manuscript and she would return it and ask for more. She expected better and knew it was in me.

Writing became hard because it was my outlet when my mom died. Every time I sat to write, it brought back the feelings of losing my mom so I stopped doing it.

I spent the past year feeling guilty. I hid behind the depression and found ways to push away the people closest to me. I even managed to push away Heather. She recently told me that she left because she didn’t know what else to do to snap me out of the depression.

In time, the depression faded and became a memory – at least until the holidays arrived.

I was not a person you wanted to be around during the holidays. When I saw a calendar I was reminded that the anniversary of mom’s death was approaching. I became unbearable. I started pushing people away again.

Close friends and my girlfriend didn’t let it happen this time. They made me talk and open up about things. Along the way something strange happened.

The world did not end on January 1.

I woke up on January 1st and I felt good. I missed my mom and mourned her passing but I felt good.

A few short days later something happened to wake me up and help focus my energy. A random moment that educated me on something I thought I knew about.

An NBC News special week-long report on women’s health issues happened to be on while I was playing with my daughter. The subject of the report that evening was ovarian cancer. I stopped what I was doing and watched the report. It was then that I learned there is no early detection test for ovarian cancer.

I had always been under the assumption that there was some test my mom could have undergone to save her life. I thought it was somehow missed or that she had never had the test. I urged the women in my life to see their gynecologists and to be tested to make sure they didn’t suffer the same fate my mom did. I was wrong.

At that moment, I found a new purpose in life. Until a test exists that can provide early detection for ovarian cancer I will not stop. If detected early ovarian cancer has a more than 90 percent survival rate. The problem is only 19 percent of ovarian cancer is detected early.

This must change.

With your help, perhaps it can.

For our girlfriends, wives, moms, aunts, sisters, nieces and daughters – for every woman I know I dedicate this fight.

I will not lose another person to this disease. This I swear.

I'm back and I'm Pissed Off.

Yeah, you heard me right.

It has been a hell of a year. I lost my mom, lost my girlfriend faced the terrible economy and had heart surgery. I am done whining now.

It is time to focus on an issue and force change.

The issue:

Ovarian Cancer.

The basics:

There is currently no early detection test for ovarian cancer. Pap tests do not detect ovarian cancer. Until there is a test, the key to early diagnosis is awareness. And the key to awareness is knowing the subtle symptoms of ovarian cancer and urging women to take early action and live.

In women age 35-74, ovarian cancer is the fifth leading cause of cancer-related deaths. An estimated one woman in 58 will develop ovarian cancer during her lifetime. The American Cancer Society estimates that in 2008, there will be 21,650 new cases of ovarian cancer and 15,520 women will die from ovarian cancer.

Because each woman diagnosed with ovarian cancer has a different profile, it is impossible to give a general prognosis. If diagnosed and treated early, when the cancer is confined to the ovary, the 5-year survival rate is more than 90 percent...9 out of 10 women are cured. Unfortunately, due to ovarian cancer's non-specific symptoms and lack of early detection tests, only 19 percent of all cases are found at this early stage. If caught in stage III or higher, the survival rate can be as low as 29 percent.