This is awesome.

[kapkomet]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090327/ap_on_..._schultz_cancer

 

Fla. congresswoman fought cancer in secret

 

By BRENDAN FARRINGTON, Associated Press Writer Brendan Farrington, Associated Press Writer – Fri Mar 27, 2:56 pm ET

 

WASHINGTON – Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz hated relying too much on her staff, but she needed them to keep up appearances during her undercover battle against cancer.

 

After several major surgeries, including a double mastectomy, she couldn't even carry her own papers in the Capitol. Staff even helped her look cheerful when she hosted a fundraiser for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

 

"I was hooked up to drains and I had a pain pack coming out of my chest, which I hid with clothing and ingenious staff work on a purse," the Florida Democrat said, adding with a laugh, "I hugged people gingerly."

 

She handled her cancer the way she handles her job: taking on tasks gracefully, winning respect from colleagues from both parties.

 

But she said protecting her children — 9-year-old boy-and-girl twins, and another 5-year-old girl — came first. She would keep it a secret from her three children, too.

 

"Once I heard my doctors out and what the recommended course of treatment was, I really felt like it was best for my kids that I get all the way through it, deal with it privately and then when I was done with everything I would be able to share with them why Mommy had surgery and show them that I was going to be OK," Wasserman Schultz said.

 

Still only 42 and considered a rising star in Democratic politics, she is chief deputy whip in the House and a vice chair of the Democratic National Committee. She frequently represents her party on national TV and heads a subcommittee that oversees funding for her legislative branch.

 

She also was very visible in the presidential campaigns of Sen. Hillary Clinton, and then Barack Obama.

 

"It's pretty amazing when people realize that she was already one of the hardest working people they knew and then to realize underneath, all this was going on in the background," said Rep. Melissa Bean, D-Ill., who shares a Washington apartment with Wasserman Schultz.

 

The congresswoman was diagnosed with breast cancer in December 2007. She had the lump removed, but then tests showed a genetic mutation that put her at high risk for a recurrence of breast or ovarian cancer. So she scheduled additional surgeries, including the double mastectomy and having her ovaries removed. The last surgery was in December.

 

"It was just like every other thing she puts on her plate — 'I'm going to do this, I'm going to get through it' — always positive," Bean said.

 

Many politicians prominently hang news articles and photos of election victories and major bill signings. The largest frame in her office lobby holds a National Journal cover story titled "Member Moms" about her and other congresswomen who balance their jobs and motherhood. Inside her office, her kids' paintings take up a huge space on the wall.

 

"I start with taking care of my kids and my family and I structure my professional life around that. That comes first," she told The Associated Press in an interview three weeks before she made her cancer announcement.

 

Other than family and close friends, she mentioned her health only to staffers who needed to know and two House colleagues, Bean and Rep. Ron Klein, a friend she served with in the Florida Senate.

 

She scheduled her surgeries when the House was on break.

 

"Walking down the hall, it hurt to even carry a folder, so I had to have my staff, which I hate doing because I'm very self-sufficient," she said.

 

Beyond protecting her children, there was another big reason why she kept her ordeal secret.

 

"I just didn't want it to define me. When I'm quoted in the newspaper, I didn't want to be 'Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who's battling breast cancer,'" she said. "I wanted to be viewed as a congresswoman, as a mom, as a fighter."

 

Pelosi said she was amazed that Wasserman Schultz was able to continue her work while fighting the disease.

 

"When I learned about all that Debbie had been through over the last year, like so many of our colleagues, I reacted with both shock and admiration," she said. "I was amazed that Debbie was able to continue her relentless pace with her trademark energy, and I admire her strength and courage."

 

At the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee she serves as a vice chair in charge of member retention.

 

"She's very focused on working with us to try to push our agenda for change forward both on the policy front as well as the political front," said Rep. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, who chairs the DCCC. "Her hard work has been recognized and that's why she's been asked to take on additional responsibilities, here at the DCCC as well as the DNC."

 

That's another reason she kept her ordeal hidden, Bean said.

 

"Lovingly, people might have said, 'Let's not ask her to do that,'" Bean said. "She didn't want that level of protection. She thought, 'I'll decide what I can do and what I can't.'"

 

Her husband, Steve Schultz, said he wouldn't have told her to slow down while dealing with the cancer.

 

"She has a drive that she wants to go and work and work real hard and work a lot of hours and get it done. Who am I to say, 'Hey, no. You can't do that,'" he said.

 

And now she's taking on a new mission: Educating young women about breast cancer. She filed a bill that would direct the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to start a national education program aimed at women under 40 and doctors who see them.

 

"I know it's going to save lives, because there's going to be someone who hadn't thought about doing a self-exam who, hearing that story, is going to say 'Wow! I better pay more attention,'" Bean said.

 

*applause*

 

This lady has a hell of a lot of courage.

[whitesoxfan101]

I was flipping around the other day and happened to catch this/her story on Hardball. It's pretty amazing, and she should be very proud of herself.

[FlaSoxxJim]

She really is amazing and quite an inspirational parson.

 

She's of Ashkenazi descent, so she's at a much higher risk for BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations, and thus higher risk of aggressive breast cancer and ovarian cancer.

[GoodAsGould]

While what she did was pretty remarkable, She obviously wasnt able to do her job to the best of her capabilities during this entire mess and probably would of been a good idea to step aside, atleast temporarily.

[bmags]

she was chief deputy whip during a time when the dems in the house voted uniformly. I'd say she was capable of doing her job. Awful point though, good job.

[kapkomet]

While what she did was pretty remarkable, She obviously wasnt able to do her job to the best of her capabilities during this entire mess and probably would of been a good idea to step aside, atleast temporarily.

Did you even read the article?

[GoodAsGould]

Did you even read the article?

 

I skimmed it and what i read was she could barely hold a file at times and had to lean heavily on her staff, and this is a positive article that had those points in it even while praising her. So, in all reality it was prob a little worse than this article makes it and she probably should have stepped down, atleast temporarily. Not taking away that for being sick she did a very good job.

[bmags]

Steve Jobs should've stepped down from Apple, too.

[kapkomet]

I skimmed it and what i read was she could barely hold a file at times and had to lean heavily on her staff, and this is a positive article that had those points in it even while praising her. So, in all reality it was prob a little worse than this article makes it and she probably should have stepped down, atleast temporarily. Not taking away that for being sick she did a very good job.

She couldn't carry a file. Wow. So what about Ted Kennedy? What about Tim Johnson? Robert Byrd? Ruth Bader Ginsburg?

 

I guess anytime anyone is sick, they should just drop off their job and never live a day to day life as much as possible?

 

 

[bmags]

there is a difference between physical and mental capacity. The latter is certainly more important than the former.

[NorthSideSox72]

I skimmed it and what i read was she could barely hold a file at times and had to lean heavily on her staff, and this is a positive article that had those points in it even while praising her. So, in all reality it was prob a little worse than this article makes it and she probably should have stepped down, atleast temporarily. Not taking away that for being sick she did a very good job.

She wasn't mentally ill, or incapacitated. She could think, and read, and vote and represent her voters' interests. And she chose to do so despite horrific physical obstacles. She deserves to be commended.

 

[GoodAsGould]

She wasn't mentally ill, or incapacitated. She could think, and read, and vote and represent her voters' interests. And she chose to do so despite horrific physical obstacles. She deserves to be commended.

 

Did I not say she did a great job considering what she was going through..... just imo someone who is an elected official should have the duty to one either step aside if something like this is going through their life or atleast make it public from the begining.

[Y2HH]

Steve Jobs should've stepped down from Apple, too.

 

He did.

[bmags]

He took a leave of absence in January after about 5 years of very serious illness rumors, but we know about pancratic cancer. Considering those diagnoses, and how confident this woman was of her recovery, I think it was an extreme example of a reason someone in control of their mind doesn't have to step down. He hid his pancreatic cancer for 9 mo.

[Y2HH]

He took a leave of absence in January after about 5 years of very serious illness rumors, but we know about pancratic cancer. Considering those diagnoses, and how confident this woman was of her recovery, I think it was an extreme example of a reason someone in control of their mind doesn't have to step down. He hid his pancreatic cancer for 9 mo.

 

From the article, there was many things she couldn't even do, such as holding things -- Jobs never had these issues where he couldn't perform his duties, he simply stepped down because he couldn't concentrate on both at the same time anymore...sounds like she should have done the same. Also, shes works for the taxpayers, Jobs does not.

[lostfan]

From the article, there was many things she couldn't even do, such as holding things -- Jobs never had these issues where he couldn't perform his duties, he simply stepped down because he couldn't concentrate on both at the same time anymore...sounds like she should have done the same. Also, shes works for the taxpayers, Jobs does not.

Everything she needed to be able to do, she did.

[Y2HH]

Everything she needed to be able to do, she did.

 

To those who believe, no explanation is necessary, to those who do not, no explanation will do. IMO, needing someone else to carry things like "papers" means you cannot do everything you need to do, it means others were doing them.

Edited March 30, 2009 by Y2HH

[NorthSideSox72]

To those who believe, no explanation is necessary, to those who do not, no explanation will do. IMO, needing someone else to carry things like "papers" means you cannot do everything you need to do, it means others were doing them.

You seriously think that carrying around papers is a necessary job function for someone in Congress? They ALL have a bazillion little interns do that crap for them anyway. Who gives a crap if they had to do a little more to help her out, especially since they all obviously believed in her and wanted to help.

 

[Y2HH]

You seriously think that carrying around papers is a necessary job function for someone in Congress? They ALL have a bazillion little interns do that crap for them anyway. Who gives a crap if they had to do a little more to help her out, especially since they all obviously believed in her and wanted to help.

 

Yes, I do, actually. I sure as hell hope the people running this country can do simple things like carry around "papers" that has who knows what printed on them, classified or not, falling into the wrong hands because you have someone else doing that part of your job for you. So yes, I do.

[lostfan]

To those who believe, no explanation is necessary, to those who do not, no explanation will do. IMO, needing someone else to carry things like "papers" means you cannot do everything you need to do, it means others were doing them.

Meh, her constituents didn't elect her based on her ability to carry her own papers. IMO there is a difference between physical capacity and mental capacity, as someone said in this thread. She was elected based on the latter and she didn't allow her physical shortcomings, however temporarily crippling, to affect her on the job. She has my admiration.

[Y2HH]

Meh, her constituents didn't elect her based on her ability to carry her own papers. IMO there is a difference between physical capacity and mental capacity, as someone said in this thread. She was elected based on the latter and she didn't allow her physical shortcomings, however temporarily crippling, to affect her on the job. She has my admiration.

 

I've never had any ailment close to this -- and I can tell you that just having a bad case of the flu affects my ability to do my job properly, as my concentration cannot be 100% (or even near 100%) on what I'm doing -- so I know for a fact there is no way she could have, either.

 

While it makes a great fluff piece, which is what it is, I'm not buying anyone under that kind of duress could "perform at 100%", and if you do, then you are all fools. That said, I'm glad this little hero story made you feel better about the world.

Edited March 30, 2009 by Y2HH

[NorthSideSox72]

Yes, I do, actually. I sure as hell hope the people running this country can do simple things like carry around "papers" that has who knows what printed on them, classified or not, falling into the wrong hands because you have someone else doing that part of your job for you. So yes, I do.

Then I guess we should fire all interns and staffers for people in Congress, and only elect people like Arnold Schwarzenegger. Some of these bills are thousands of pages long, you know. Can't have little old ladies carrying that around, and I guess we can't have anyone else carry them other than the elected member.

 

[Y2HH]

Then I guess we should fire all interns and staffers for people in Congress, and only elect people like Arnold Schwarzenegger. Some of these bills are thousands of pages long, you know. Can't have little old ladies carrying that around, and I guess we can't have anyone else carry them other than the elected member.

 

Wow that was a great attempt at rationalization! Far reaching, but I give you an A for effort anyway. Because, you know...you're right, you need to be as big and strong as Arnold to carry around an 1800 page book/document! It's not like it can be on a laptop, or a cart with wheels you push. You fail.

[NorthSideSox72]

I've never had any ailment close to this -- and I can tell you that just having a bad case of the flu affects my ability to do my job properly, as my concentration cannot be 100% (or even near 100%) on what I'm doing -- so I know for a fact there is no way she could have, either.

 

While it makes a great fluff piece, which is what it is, I'm not buying anyone under that kind of duress could "perform at 100%", and if you do, then you are all fools. That said, I'm glad this little hero story made you feel better about the world.

I'm not sure anyone in Congress is performing at 100% at any given time.

 

 

That has layers.

 

[Y2HH]

I'm not sure anyone in Congress is performing at 100% at any given time.

 

 

That has layers.

 

I was just playing devils advocate anyway. But you win with this one.