letters to the editor

opinion: Funding for cancer prevention must be top priority in federal budget

Posted on Mon, Sep 24, 2012 : 3:50 p.m.

Last week, I traveled to Washington, D.C., to represent cancer patients and survivors from Ypsilanti to call on Congress to make cancer a national priority. I joined more than 600 American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) volunteers from across the country to ask lawmakers in our nation’s capital to protect funding for cancer research and prevention programs.

I met with staff members in the offices of John Dingell (Cristina Kapustij), Debbie Stabenow (Gianelle Rivera), Carl Levin (Jacob Courville) and John Conyers, and made it clear that Congress needs to put partisanship a side on behalf of the nearly 14 million cancer survivors in the United States and more than 1.6 million people in America who will be diagnosed this year. Funding for research at the National Institutes of Healthand for cancer prevention at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and through the new Prevention and Public Health Fund must be top priorities in the federal budget. Legislation recently introduced in Congress to improve the quality of life for cancer patients must also be an important priority. Cancer is not a partisan issue, it does not care which party you support, the color of your skin, your religion. Cancer is equal opportunity and you do not get to vote on if you get it or not. We do have the opportunity to make these lifesaving programs a priority, we will ensure that progress continues in the fight against cancer. Jennifer Belaire

Volunteer, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network

Ypsilanti, Mi

Tags: letters