Unsettled by how difficult it had been to get a correct diagnosis in 1999, the North Carolina Republican began to champion the issue and was troubled to find out about the hurdles that women who lack adequate medical insurance face. The women might be able to find programs offering free or low-cost mammograms and Pap tests, but a cancer diagnosis didn't give them access to medical treatment.

"So it was like a doctor says to you, 'I'm sorry you have cancer, but I can't help,' " Myrick said. "To me ... [that] is the same as a death sentence."

In the Roosevelt Room of the White House on Friday, Myrick watched as President Bush signed a bill meant to give those women a better chance at survival.

The legislation she sponsored reauthorizes an early-detection program for breast and cervical cancers, and gives states the option to use Medicaid dollars to treat women diagnosed through it.

"This is an effective program," Bush said. "Since its creation, the program has conducted nearly 7 million cancer screenings, it's diagnosed thousands of cases of breast and cervical cancer, and it's helped educate women about the importance of early detection." By Lisa Zagaoli