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.
Last month marked a significant step forward in our commitment to make federal funding for cancer research a national priority.
Three years ago, ACS CAN launched the One Degree campaign, calling on Congress to increase federal funding for medical research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) by $6 billion, including $1 billion for cancer-specific research at the National Cancer Institute (NCI). It was a lofty goal – but an important one to reverse too many years of flat or reduced funding.
Throughout the year, ACS CAN and its volunteers work to impact the cancer burden by making sure lawmakers are aware of the issues that matter to them at all levels of government. September marks one of the most powerful and exciting times of the year as we gather hundreds of our advocates in the nation’s capital as part of our annual Leadership Summit and Lobby Day.
Advancements in cancer research are saving more lives than ever. That’s why increasing federal funding for cancer research is one of our top priorities. Without consistent increases in federal research funding, new treatments and tests may not reach cancer patients who need them the most, like Erin Burns from Minnesota.
Over the last four years, ACS and ACS CAN have worked with Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. (DST) to address cancer disparities among African American women. While most of this work has been regionally-focused in the past, we have expanded this partnership with DST into a national one.
We need more communities to join our movement to end cancer through legislative and policy change. One way in which we engage communities to do this is through our integration with the American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life®.
As Pride month comes to a close, it’s a good time to reflect upon the incredible progress members of the LGBT community have made in communities across the country and around the world.
Last week, nearly 120 advocates, including several ACS CAN volunteers, asked their lawmakers to fund cancer research as part of the 18th annual One Voice Against Cancer (OVAC) lobby day. We must keep the momentum going.
Last week was Childhood Cancer Action Day in Washington, D.C., where ACS CAN volunteer Heather Adler and her daughter, Abby, urged their members of Congress to increase funding for childhood cancer research. This guest blog post is from Heather, detailing their experience advocating on behalf of cancer patients.