Next week, Jennifer Coston, from Merrill, will join more than 700 cancer patients, survivors, volunteers and staff from all 50 states and nearly every congressional district in Washington, D.C., as part of the annual American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network Leadership Summit and Lobby Day.
Advocates will ask Congress to take specific steps to make cancer a national priority and help end a disease that still kills 1,650 people a day in this country.
Coston will meet with U.S. Rep. John Moolenaar, R-Midland. and U.S. Sens. Gary Peters and Debbie Stabenow, both Democrats from Michigan, to discuss supporting an increase in federal funding for cancer research. She will also ask them to co-sponsor legislation that supports patients' quality of life and to support legislation that would close a loophole in Medicare that often results in surprise costs for seniors when a polyp is found during a routine colonoscopy.
Coston, who lost her cousin to cancer, said she is traveling to Washington, D.C., to help ensure fewer people will face a cancer diagnosis. She added that members of Congress play a critical role in passing public health policies that fight this disease.
"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," Coston said. "We want our lawmakers to know that volunteers from Michigan and from every state across the country are counting on them to take a stand."
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.