Just one month prior to being part of the very public repeal vote in the Senate, Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-HI) underwent a major surgery to treat her kidney cancer. The fight is personal. Hirono had her seventh rib, and a tumor, removed and in it's place was a 7-inch long titanium plate screwed into where the rib bone had been. It goes without saying this procedure was very painful. However, Hirono returned to work quickly.

Being back at work was personal for Hirono, as she debates the merits of Obamacare and the implications of a repeal and/or replacement. Fellow Hawaiian senator, Brian Schatz said of his colleague, "Mazie is one of the toughest people in the Senate - and her diagnosis gave everyone an opportunity to see that in three dimensions."

For more on Hirono's fight, both in the Senate and at home, click here.