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March 26, 2009

Congresswoman Wasserman Schultz on Fighting Breast Cancer

The Situation Room

BLITZER: And joining us now, Democratic Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, representing the state of Florida.

Congresswoman, thanks very much for coming in.

REP. DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (D), FLORIDA: Thanks for having me, Wolf.

BLITZER: All right.

Now, turn around and take a look at some of these pictures we're showing our viewers. There you were, campaigning with the president of the United States. He eventually won. You were out campaigning earlier for that woman. That would be Hillary Clinton.

(LAUGHTER)

BLITZER: You were very, very busy last year, not only representing your district, but also working to get Democrats elected.

But there was a great secret you were not sharing with your constituents and with all of us.

WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: Yes.

I was diagnosed with breast cancer at the beginning of December of 2007, and, between December 2007 and December 2008, went through seven fairly major surgeries to address the breast cancer, and, since I was subsequently diagnosed as carrying the breast cancer gene, had my ovaries removed as well.

BLITZER: So, you went through an enormous -- I remember seeing you at the Democratic Convention last summer in Denver. And we spent some time together. I had no idea what you were going through at that time. And I assume very few people did.

WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: I actually had just had my reconstructive surgery at the -- right before the convention. So, it was -- it was a tumultuous time for me. I had a lot of balls in the air last year.

But, you know, honestly, between the primary, you know, and my involvement in Senator Clinton's campaign, Secretary Clinton's campaign, and then the -- the Obama campaign, it -- it really gave me an opportunity to concentrate on everything else but what I was going through personally. It was a tremendous help.

BLITZER: All right, now, let -- how were you first diagnosed? How did you know in December of 2007 that you might have breast cancer?

WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: I -- I found -- I found a lump myself.

I was doing a routine self-exam in the shower and felt a lump in my right breast, was, you know, panicked, kept feeling it to make sure that I was right, had my husband feel it, and subsequently went to the doctor a few days later and had a biopsy, over which there was some debate on whether I should -- needed that at all, which happens to young women pretty often, and initially was told I was fine after -- right after the biopsy, but, three days later, got the call every woman dreads, and was told that I was not fine and that I had breast cancer.

BLITZER: And so then what did you do?

WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: Well, we went through the range of treatment options. I was very fortunate. We caught it early, because I found it myself. It was less than -- a tumor that was less than half-a- centimeter.

But because I am a woman of Ashkenazi Jewish descent, and I was 41 when I was diagnosed, which was one of the indicators of possibly being a carrier of the breast cancer gene, I had a blood test. And, a month later, when the results came back, we found that I carried the breast cancer gene.

So, I went from having -- being able to have a more mild form of treatment, just a lumpectomy and radiation, to needing to make a decision to have a double mastectomy and reconstructive surgery, and, then, ultimately, have my ovaries removed, because when you carry the breast cancer gene, you are much more likely to -- to have a recurrence in breast cancer.

And, so, my doctor's advice was to -- to have pretty significant treatment.

BLITZER: And women of your age who are Jewish, of Ashkenazi descent, like African-American, have a...

WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: Yes.

BLITZER: ... a greater proportion of getting the -- the worst- case scenario.

WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: Which I didn't even know. I mean, I have been a legislature for 17 years, been -- passed breast cancer legislation in the -- in the Florida legislature, and had no idea that I was in a higher-risk population for carrying that gene.

I knew the gene existed, but I didn't realize that -- that I was possibly more likely to carry it. And when you -- one in 40 Jews carry that -- that breast cancer gene. It doesn't mean you're going get breast cancer. But if you -- it makes it more likely. And if you do have, it makes a recurrence much more likely. It makes ovarian cancer much more likely as well.

BLITZER: And you decided to keep this secret, I take it in part because of -- you have three young kids, right?

WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: Yes. It was a very -- it's a very a personal decision that every woman needs to make on their own on how they're going to handle dealing with -- with the treatment of breast cancer.

My children were 8 and 4 when I was diagnosed. And cancer is a very scary thing. And I just really wanted to be able to get through all of the treatment that I -- and surgeries I was going to have. I was fortunate I was able to avoid radiation and chemotherapy, because I caught my breast cancer so early, which is why self-exam and -- and early detection is important.

I wanted to make sure that I could get all the way through the surgeries and procedures and be able to tell them honestly that mommy was really going to be OK.

BLITZER: And they -- they -- how have they handled all this?

WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: You know, when I sat them down over the weekend -- I just told them Saturday, and they -- they handled it well. I -- I spoke to them, you know, very casually, didn't make a huge deal out of it. It wasn't like a formal conversation.

I just mentioned -- they knew I had the surgery. I mentioned that, you know, mommy had -- remember when mommy had something removed from her breast that didn't belong there? What that was, was breast cancer. And, you know, my -- my 9-year-old daughter's eyes got as wide as saucers. And she -- the first question she had is, well, you're OK, right?

And then asked me, "Am I going to get cancer?" which so many young children do. And I knew, while I was going through it, that if I had to deal with those questions -- I travel back and forth so much -- the angst that they would have carried, I just wanted to make sure I could relieve it. And once I was all the way through it, I knew that I could.

And I did the same -- my other two children reacted similarly. My son and my -- my youngest daughter just wanted to make sure I was OK once they knew I was OK.

BLITZER: And your husband was a real rock?

WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: My husband was unbelievable. My husband, you know, took care of the kids. I had my surgeries up in Washington. And he -- he stayed home with the kids.

And we wanted to make sure that, you know, their life would remain normal while I was going through all of this. And my mom and my best friends, you know, came up and took care of me while I was going through the surgery.

And I scheduled the surgery around the congressional recesses and, you know, on days -- days when we didn't have votes, and, you know, would go to the floor. I would have surgery in the morning and stay in my apartment all day, go to the floor, cast a vote, and go back home.

BLITZER: It was an amazing year. And thank God you're OK.

WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: Had a lot of balls in the air.

(LAUGHTER)

BLITZER: And you're doing just fine.

WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: Thank you.

BLITZER: And now you're going to be active in bringing this message out to women and men just to...

(CROSSTALK)

WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: ... filing legislation.

BLITZER: ... to make sure they try to detect it early.

WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: Yes, we're filing legislation that I filed today called the EARLY Act, the Education and Awareness Requires Learning Young -- 185 members co-sponsored it. Sorry. It's -- it was really -- the -- the reaction that has been so wonderful.

We're trying to make sure that we create an education and awareness campaign for young women, because young women are diagnosed usually much later, when they have breast cancer, and it's a more aggressive form of breast cancer. And populations, at-risk populations, like Ashkenazi Jews and young black women, don't know that they are more at risk to be carriers of that gene.

And doctors often dismiss women when they come in and have a problem. So, we need to educate doctors and young women about the importance of early detection.

BLITZER: And Ashkenazi Jews are Jews from European descent...

WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: Yes.

(CROSSTALK)

WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: Eastern European descent.

BLITZER: ... as opposed to North African or Middle East.

WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: Yes.

BLITZER: Well, we're really happy you're here.

WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: Thank you. Me, too.

(LAUGHTER)

BLITZER: Thanks for telling -- thanks for telling us your story. And we hope you will be visiting us often here in THE SITUATION ROOM.

WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: I hope so, too, if I'm invited. Thank you.

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