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Mrs. Bush's Remarks at Announcement of U.S.-Panama Partnership for Breast
Cancer Awareness and Research
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For Immediate Release Office of the First Lady November 21, 2008

Mrs. Bush's Remarks at Announcement of U.S.-Panama Partnership for Breast
Cancer Awareness and Research Ministry of Foreign Affairs Panama City,
Panama

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8:26 A.M. EST

MRS. BUSH: Thank you so much, and thank you very much for sharing your
story. It was really, really very moving for all of us to hear it.

I also want to recognize, of course, the First Lady of Panama, my really
good friend, Vivian Fern ndez de Torrijos. Thank you very much for being my
host while we're here. Ambassador Barbara Stephenson, our U.S. Ambassador
to Panama, is here in the audience. Thank you, Ambassador. Dr. Ana
Gonzalez-Angulo, thank you very much for being a part of this morning's
ceremony. And Annetta Hewko, the Vice President of International Affairs
for Susan G. Komen, and all the distinguished ministers and guests, thank
you all for coming this morning.

Twenty-five years ago, women in the United States were too embarrassed and
fearful to talk about breast cancer. They didn't know how to protect
themselves, and the disease was often diagnosed too late for successful
treatment.

A lot has changed in 25 years. American women now know to get yearly
mammograms, and do breast self-exams, and to research our family histories
with breast cancer. Much of this progress is due to the Susan G. Komen for
the Cure, which was established by my friend and our Chief of Protocol,
Ambassador Nancy Brinker, to honor her sister, Susan.

Advocates like First Ladies Betty Ford and Nancy Reagan also helped raise
awareness by making their diagnoses and treatments of breast cancer public.
Today, more women in the United States are stepping forward to tell their
own stories. And increasingly these stories are stories of triumph -- like
the story of my mother, Jenna Welch, who is a breast cancer survivor.

Breast cancer is a growing public health issue in Latin America. Here in
Panama, it's the second leading cause of cancer-related death among women.
And just like years ago in the United States, many women have not been told
about the steps they can take to save their lives.

American women want to share our experience with breast cancer with our
sisters in the Western Hemisphere. Last July, I announced the Partnership
for Breast Cancer Awareness and Research of the Americas to help our
countries address the challenges of breast cancer together. This effort
unites the medical expertise of the University of Texas M.D. Anderson
Cancer Center with the resources of Susan G. Komen for the Cure and the
commitment of the United States Department of State. It builds on the
success that the United States Middle East Partnership for Breast Cancer
Awareness and Research, which was launched in 2006.

The Partnership for Breast Cancer Awareness and Research of the Americas is
mobilizing mothers, sisters, daughters, and friends to help spread a
life-saving message that regular mammograms and breast self-exams lead to
early detection, which today is the closest thing we have to a cure.

Panama has already had success in raising awareness. Last year, nearly
7,800 women received public -- received mammograms at public institutions,
compared to just 680 four years ago. And I know that Vivian has made breast
cancer a strong part of her role as First Lady, and we have Vivian to thank
for this success. Thank you very, very much, Vivian. (Applause.)

Today, I'm happy to announce that Panama has been chosen to join the
Partnership for Breast Cancer Awareness and Research of the Americas. This
collaboration will help more women learn what they can do to protect
themselves from breast cancer, and it'll help researchers in both of our
nations share discoveries that one day we hope will lead to a cure.

Already, the Partnership is empowering whole communities in Latin America
to take charge of their health. In Costa Rica, residents of Limon were
inspired to start their own non-governmental organization, Limon United
Against Breast Cancer. Previously, this city had no organizations dedicated
to raising awareness of cancer, and it had only one mammography machine,
which was broken.

Brazilian women are breaking their silence about breast cancer. One
Partnership beneficiary said she now "talks to everyone about the subject
-- at church, on the bus, and at the market." Another Brazilian woman, a
psychologist, Eliane S  Brito, is teaching women to perform breast
self-exams, and supporting those who are diagnosed with cancer. She said,
"I believe that I have a role that is as important as the doctors, and that
is the role of the educator."

Our partnerships in Latin America recognize that every woman is a potential
educator, and that all of us have something to learn. The U.S.-Panama
Breast Cancer Partnership will add new voices to the global effort to end
breast cancer. And here in Panama it'll help save women's lives.

In October at the White House, we saw how breast advocacy unites women
across national borders. Researchers and activists from around the world
joined us as we lit the White House pink in honor of Breast Cancer
Awareness Month. And here in Panama, Mrs. Torrijos supported a similar
effort. The Presidential Palace and more than 50 of Panama's hospitals,
government ministries, banks and private businesses were illuminated pink
throughout the month.

These illuminations make a bold statement that the people of Panama are
committed to raising awareness of breast cancer. Today, our Partnership
makes a bold promise: that our nations will work together until we've ended
this disease.

Thank you all very, very much, and God bless you. (Applause.)

END 8:32 A.M. EST

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