Cancer hits hard
invest in research to fight back
To the editor:
Each of us is only One Degree from someone with cancer. We all know someone who’s battled this disease, and many of us have fought cancer ourselves.
I traveled to Washington, D.C. in September to represent the voice of cancer survivors and patients in District 2. When I met with Senators Collins and Poliquin, I explained to them that there is perhaps no better way for Congress to support the fight against cancer than by funding that fight.
By increasing medical research funding at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) by $6 billion over the next two years, including $1 billion for cancer research at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), we can move closer to world with less suffering and death from cancer.
Unfortunately, without adequate federal funding, new breakthroughs in treatment and prevention may languish in labs across the country while cancer patients sit waiting.
Nearly 15 million cancer survivors are living, and thriving, in America today thanks to past investment in research that led to innovative treatments and therapies. Add your One Degree at www.OneDegreeProject.org and join me in asking Congress to increase funding at NIH and NCI. I know our conversation made a difference in the halls of Congress, and I encourage you to add your voice. Visit www.acscan.org to be connected to people like me in your community.
Karin Howe, volunteer
American Cancer Society
Cancer Action Network
Wade
