Jackie Beale, an ACS CAN volunteer from Maryland, knew her family’s history of cancer put her at risk.
Today, sitting in front of key aides to members of Congress, she made sure they understood why that was so important. 
In 2002, while performing a self-breast exam, Jackie felt a small lump. It turned out to be a very aggressive type of breast cancer.
During treatment, Jackie’s doctors were able to test her cells to determine the exact type of breast cancer she had. This allowed them to better treat her cancer with a more targeted treatment plan.
And this is what the audience needed to understand - that federal funding for cancer research has led to major breakthroughs in cancer treatment and detection, like immunotherapy and genetic testing.
It's not just about money, but about saving lives - the lives of people like Jackie.
Jackie was joined by doctors from some of the nation’s leading cancer centers and the Deputy Director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) at the briefing, which was organized by ACS CAN and the One Voice Against Cancer coalition.
Jackie said, “We’ve made tremendous progress in the fight against cancer over the past 25 years. However, we still have a long way to go to ensure that there are effective treatment options for all cancer patients.”
Jackie’s story highlights why increased federal funding for the NCI and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is so important.
Join Jackie and sign our petition calling on Congress to support cancer research funding and to reject any funding cuts that could halt research on cancer detection and treatment.
After months of delay and hard negotiations, Congress has finally passed a funding bill! The bill includes a small increase for cancer research and prevention programs.