{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://brooks.house.gov/media-center/news-releases/brooks-god-works-mysterious-ways", "Brooks: God Works in Mysterious Ways", "2017-12-13", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "AL", "Mo Brooks", "B001274", "brooks.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, DC \u2013 This morning, Congressman Mo Brooks (AL-05) delivered the following speech on the House floor. \u00a0\n\u00a0\n\nVideo of Congressman Brooks\u2019 remarks is available HERE.\nText of Congressman Brooks\u2019 remarks: \n\u201cMr. Speaker, this is a very difficult speech for me to give. God works in mysterious ways. When you are an elected official, missed votes require an explanation. That is why I disclose this otherwise very personal, very private, and very humbling matter.\n\u201cOn Halloween Night after votes and as I stood on the Capitol steps, my doctor called and said, \u2018Congressman Brooks. Bad news. You have high risk prostate cancer.\u2019 I felt an adrenalin rush as a chill went up and down my spine.\u00a0\n\u201cBy way of background, prostate cancer kills almost 27,000 American men each year and is the third leading cause of cancer deaths, behind only lung and colorectal cancers.\u00a0\u00a0\n\u201c71% of prostate cancer patients die in less than five years if the prostate cancer has spread beyond the abdominal cavity. In stark contrast, almost all prostate cancer patients live longer than five years if the cancer is discovered early and killed before it spreads.\u00a0\n\u201cFor example, my father discovered his prostate cancer early. He lived four decades after his prostatectomy. My grandfather discovered his prostate cancer too late. He died not long thereafter. \u00a0\n\u201cAfter my doctor\u2019s diagnosis, I called my wife, Martha, who was back home in Huntsville welcoming Trick or Treaters, and shared the bad news. That night was one of the loneliest nights apart in our 41-year marriage. I kept thinking about my wonderful family, \u2018What do I do next,\u2019 and \u2018How do I beat this cancer?\u2019\n\u201cOvernight I formed a plan and began implementing it. In an emotional meeting, I informed my Washington staff of my cancer, that I was immediately flying to Huntsville after a CT Scan that afternoon, and that, for medical reasons, I would be in Alabama the rest of the week.\u00a0\n\u201cBased on advice from friends and doctors, I chose Dr. Scott Tully as my treating physician. Dr. Tully is widely respected and has performed more than 3,000 prostatectomies. On Thursday, Martha and I drove to Birmingham to obtain Dr. Tully\u2019s insight about treatment options and risks.\u00a0 He advised a radical prostatectomy.\n\u201cAt Dr. Tully\u2019s direction, I undertook a heart stress test and a Nuclear Bone Scan. Finally, I got some good news. My CT Scan and Nuclear Bone Scan revealed no cancer beyond the prostate. My heart stress test confirmed that I was strong enough to undergo the two to three hour surgery.\n\u201cProstate cancer mortality is compelling. Speed is critical in the fight against prostate cancer. In compliance with the 2017 House Calendar that set end-of-year votes on December 14, and at some risk to myself, Dr. Tully and I delayed my surgery until December 15, this Friday, and set a post-surgery medical procedure for December 20.\n\u201cMy plan was to recuperate at home during the holidays with my family and return to Washington for a full work load when Congress reconvenes on January 3. Unfortunately, last week the House Speaker abruptly changed the House voting calendar that I relied on to set my surgery. As a result, next week I will miss House floor votes unless I am unexpectedly medically cleared to travel.\n\u201cThere are three insights from my experience that I wish to share with the public. First, don\u2019t ever take your health or family for granted. During the holidays, enjoy your family . . . because no one is promised tomorrow.\n\u201cSecond, I encourage age appropriate men to have regular PSA tests. While PSA tests do not diagnose cancer, my PSA spike persuaded me to have the prostate biopsy that revealed my \u2018high risk\u2019 prostate cancer early enough for me to enjoy a very good cure prognosis.\n\u201cThird, I ran for the Senate in 2017. I finished third out of nine candidates in the Republican Primary. Had I won, I would not have had time for my physical and PSA test. I would not have had a prostate biopsy. I would not now know about my \u2018high risk\u2019 prostate cancer that requires immediate surgery.\u00a0\n\u201cIn retrospect, and paradoxically, losing the Senate race may have saved my life!\u00a0\n\u201cYes, God does work in mysterious ways.\u201d\n\u00a0\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://brooks.house.gov/media-center/news-releases/brooks-god-works-mysterious-ways"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.411686884239316, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}