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Sen. Lisa Frizell, R-Castle Rock, is recovering from surgery after being diagnosed with stage 1 breast cancer. The first-term senator announced on the Senate floor last week that she's
battling the disease. About 5,500 women and men are diagnosed with breast cancer every year in Colorado, she said. "Today, I have joined those ranks," she said. Her voice breaking,
she said the month has been filled with emotion and an endless barrage of tests. "I'm a really private person, and I don't share this information lightly," she said.
Frizell said before surgery that her announcement was out of respect for her constituents in Senate District 2. "I am accountable to them and always want to be transparent. I want to be
clear to all that I am not going to stop fighting for the good people in Senate District 2, while I simultaneously fight this new battle. I am not going anywhere, and I’m going to be fine,”
she said. Frizell also encouraged everyone to get a mammogram. At stage 1, she's at the level where breast cancer is the most treatable. "I'm going to beat cancer," she
said. “I have a heart of gratitude that my cancer has been caught early because of a routine screening, and this is my public service announcement today. Get a mammogram every year. Do it
even though it is inconvenient and intrusive. Do it because it can save your life," she told her colleagues. Senate Minority Leader Paul Lundeen, R-Monument, said Frizell is a fighter.
"She wins for her constituents, she wins for the Senate Republican team, and we are confident she will swiftly beat this personal challenge,” he said. On the other side of the Capitol,
House Republican leaders also offered their support. House Minority Leader Rose Pugliese, R-Colorado Springs and Assistant Minority Leader Ty Winter, R-Trinidad, said their hearts are with
Frizell and her family. "And we stand beside her in unwavering support. Our prayers and positive thoughts are with her," they said. Frizell served one term in the state House
before joining the state Senate last November. She previously served as Douglas County assessor and has been a major voice on the issue of property taxes.