By: Rose H.R. No. 248

R E S O L U T I O N

WHEREAS, The second Susan G. Komen for the Cure Advocacy Day in Texas is being held on February 4, 2009; and

WHEREAS, Founded in 1982, the Susan G. Komen Affiliate Network is the largest private funder of community-based breast health education and breast cancer screening and treatment programs in the nation; the network is sustained by more than 100,000 breast cancer survivors and activists; and

WHEREAS, In the United States, a woman receives a diagnosis of breast cancer every three minutes, making that disease the most frequently diagnosed of all cancers affecting women; it was expected that, in 2008, approximately 185,000 new cases of breast cancer would occur among women and that 41,000 women would succumb to the disease; in addition, it was anticipated that more than 1,900 cases of breast cancer would be diagnosed among men; and

WHEREAS, Without a cure, one in eight women in the United States will continue to be diagnosed with breast cancer; moreover, the next quarter-century will see an estimated five million American women and 25 million women worldwide diagnosed with breast cancer, and more than a million American women and some 10 million women worldwide could die; and

WHEREAS, Susan G. Komen for the Cure is doing outstanding work in combating this devastating illness: up to 75 percent of the net income of each Susan G. Komen domestic affiliate is dedicated to fighting breast cancer in the local community, with grants being awarded to local hospitals and community organizations that provide breast health education and breast cancer screening and treatment for medically underserved women; the remaining net income, a minimum of 25 percent, supports the Susan G. Komen Award and Research Grant Program, which funds groundbreaking breast cancer research, meritorious awards, and educational and scientific programs around the world; and

WHEREAS, Susan G. Komen for the Cure has played a critical role in every major advance in the struggle against breast cancer, contributing to such achievements as an increased rate of early detection, more research, and a greatly improved five-year survival rate; today, 2.3 million breast cancer survivors in the United States attest to the power of social action and science to save lives; and

WHEREAS, Over the next decade, Susan G. Komen for the Cure aims to invest more than $600 million in breast health care and treatment for the underserved, as well as over $400 million in research; the organization also plans to mobilize more than 10 million individuals for the fight against the disease; and

WHEREAS, In support of the second Susan G. Komen for the Cure Advocacy Day in Texas, members of Susan G. Komen affiliates in Austin, Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, Amarillo, Lubbock, North Texas and Tarrant County are visiting the State Capitol; joining them are medical professionals who have received Susan G. Komen grants, as well as several representatives from the national organization; and

WHEREAS, Breast cancer touches the lives of thousands of individuals across the Lone Star State, and Komen for the Cure is to be commended for the vision, passion, and tenacity it brings to its vital mission; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 81st Texas Legislature hereby recognize February 4, 2009, as the second Susan G. Komen for the Cure Advocacy Day in Texas and extend to all those associated with Susan G. Komen for the Cure sincere appreciation for their commitment to such an important cause.