WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) on Thursday announced that he has invited Caroline Johnson of New Britain to be his guest for the State of the Union address. Caroline is a staunch advocate for early cancer screening and research funding after her husband Scott Johnson, a New Britain firefighter and a Chief Petty Officer for the U.S. Coast Guard, died of colorectal cancer in August 2017 at the young age of 43. 

Murphy assisted the Johnson family in securing a burial for Scott at the Arlington National Cemetery next to Scott’s father Roy, a marine veteran and Purple Heart recipient after Caroline reached out to his office for help. 

"At a time when bad news seems to be ubiquitous, I invited Caroline to be my guest at the State of the Union speech to shed light on the inspiring good news story of her husband's life and her family's courageous work to find treatments and cures for the cancer that took Scott's life. Scott was a hero in our community. I’m honored I could play a very small part in helping make Scott’s dying wish to be buried next to his father in Arlington National Cemetery a reality, and I want to continue to help spread Caroline’s family’s story,” said Murphy. “Cancer has torn apart too many families, including too many people close to me. I’m glad I will have Caroline by my side at President Trump’s first State of the Union speech to shed light on the true greatness of our nation—strong, resilient, community-minded families like the Johnsons.”

“I’m proud and honored to join Senator Chris Murphy at the State of the Union to tell Scott’s story and be a voice for him and so many other families,” said Caroline Johnson. “I still do not fully understand why Scott was taken so young, and I never will. The men and women who fight this disease need an advocate for the importance of earlier screening and detection and research for a cure, and I am not one to back down from that challenge. It’s difficult for my three sons to understand right now, but as they get older, I hope that they will realize that not only was their father a hero to us and to those who knew and loved him, but also to the men and woman whose lives we can save because of his story.”

President Trump will deliver his first State of the Union address on Tuesday, January 30, 2018.