Mazie Hirono battling Stage 4 Kidney Cancer gives stirring speech on ACA repeal

[Shadows]

Hirono said when she was diagnosed with stage four kidney cancer many of her Republican colleagues offered their condolences and wrote her notes sharing their own battles with cancer. "You showed me your care, you showed me your compassion, where is that tonight?" she said banging her fist on the table. "...I find it hard to believe we can sit here and vote on a bill that is going to hurt millions and millions of people in our country."

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/onpolitics/2017/07/28/senator-mazie-hirono-who-has-stage-4-kidney-cancer-fights-back-tears-during-heartfelt-healthcare-lea/519347001/

Hirono began her Thursday night remarks by noting that she was likely the only U.S. senator who had not been born in a hospital. “I was born at home in rural Japan,” she said. “I lost a sister to pneumonia when she was only 2 years old in Japan. She died at home. Not in a hospital where maybe her life could have been saved.” As Hirono fought back tears and took a deep breath, she said, “It’s hard for me to talk about this. I think you can tell. Give me a moment.”

She continued to talk about her life growing up as an immigrant living in America and how she feared her mother would become ill and run out of money. “And now, here I am a United States senator,” Mazio said. “I am fighting kidney cancer, and I’m just so grateful that I had health insurance so that I could concentrate on the care that I needed rather than how the heck I was going to afford the care that would probably save my life.”

http://www.huffingtonpost.in/entry/senator-mazie-hirono-health-care-plea_us_597ac22ae4b02a8434b55cda

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

I checked and stage 4 kindney cancer have only 8% survival rate past 5 years.

What the hell is this, the Year of Cancer? This is messed up.

[Shadows]

I checked and stage 4 kindney cancer have only 8% survival rate past 5 years.

What the hell is this, the Year of Cancer? This is messed up.

Hirono is set to remove a lesion from a rib in a surgery next week. This is the latest development in Hirono's cancer battle. She first announced her diagnosis in May. Last month, she had her kidney removed.

http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/35732588/us-sen-mazie-hirono-to-undergo-another-surgery-in-ongoing-kidney-cancer-battle

She had a kidney removed & has had surgeries since then. She is up for re-election in 2018. She has vowed to run. Even if she is healthy enough to run, it is doubtful if she will be able to finish her turn. Hopefully she recovers & is as healthy as possible & has many years but doesn't look very promising !

[Hermit For Peace]

I think any pleas like this falls on deaf ears because it seems obvious to me that the ones who voted for this bill do not have a heart. They don't allow compassion to enter inside that dark space. They're on some idealistic platform that has them standing too high above the average citizens to see reality. Only when reality bites them in the butt personally are they going to come back down to earth. It seems to have happened to McCain in this instance.

 

[publicunofficial]

I think any pleas like this falls on deaf ears because it seems obvious to me that the ones who voted for this bill do not have a heart. They don't allow compassion to enter inside that dark space. They're on some idealistic platform that has them standing too high above the average citizens to see reality. Only when reality bites them in the butt personally are they going to come back down to earth. It seems to have happened to McCain in this instance.

Remember when Republicans marched right past Bob Dole in a wheelchair to vote down a bill to help disabled people?

[SATW]

Prayers, of course, are with Sen. Hirono.

[Silent Hunter]

Prayers, of course, are with Sen. Hirono.

[publicunofficial]

I checked and stage 4 kindney cancer have only 8% survival rate past 5 years.

What the hell is this, the Year of Cancer? This is messed up.

When most of the Senate is over 55 you should statistically expect more cancer than this. Chuck Grassley's probably full of tumors just waiting to be discovered.

[rosin]

Prayers, of course, are with Sen. Hirono.

I think she prefers decent health care

[TheSaint250]

Prayers, of course, are with Sen. Hirono.

[publicunofficial]

Prayers, of course, are with Sen. Hirono.

I think she prefers decent health care

Especially since she's, y'know, Buddhist.

[Devout Centrist]

I'd like to point out this diagnosis was made back in May