WADE, Maine — A local woman joined more than 700 cancer patients, survivors, volunteers and staff from all 50 states and nearly every congressional district in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 13 as part of the annual American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) Leadership Summit and Lobby Day.
Advocates asked Congress to take specific steps to make cancer a national priority and help end a disease that still kills 1,600 people a day in this country.
Howe, who lives in Wade, met with Congressman Bruce Poliquin and U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King to discuss the need to support an increase in federal funding for cancer research. She also asked them to support legislation that supports patients’ quality of life, including closing a loophole in Medicare that often results in surprise costs for seniors when a polyp is found during a routine colonoscopy.
“One in two men and one in three women will hear the words ‘You have cancer’ in their lifetime. We need a full and unwavering commitment from Congress to take action to help prevent and treat cancer,” said Howe.
“We want our lawmakers to know that volunteers from Maine, and from every state across the country, are counting on them to take a stand,” she said.
