Yesterday was a very exciting day at ACS CAN! We were out on the National Mall, in front of the U.S. Capitol building, filming our second-ever national TV commercial. Cancer survivors, caregivers, their families and friends joined us by the U.S. Capitol reflecting pool throughout the day yesterday as we built an 8'x16' wall of HOPE out of Post-it notes, the centerpiece of our commercial. These Post-it notes had real messages to survivors and loved ones who have lost their battle to cancer.
The message behind the commercial is a simple one: The administration, Congress and the 12 members of the deficit reduction super committee need to remember the estimated 1.6 million people in America who will be diagnosed with cancer this year and the nearly 12 million cancer survivors living in America today when they are deciding our country's priorities. Funding for cancer research, prevention and access to care is critical to saving lives. The national TV ad will premiere in early November. I look forward to sharing the final version with you once it is complete.
Mariah Forster Olson, an ACS CAN Ambassador Constituent Team Lead (ACT Lead), traveled to Washington, D.C. this week to share her story as a childhood cancer survivor and to advocate on behalf of other patients and survivors during the 2019 Childhood Cancer Action Days.