March was an inspiring month for colorectal cancer awareness. We saw a lot of activity here in D.C and across the country to launch the initiative to increase screening rates to 80% by 2018. But not all cancers have a month dedicated to their awareness, and the disease is expected to kill 585,000 people in America this year. I was humbled yesterday to see that President Obama issued a proclamation naming April 2014 National Cancer Control Month, making the fight against all cancers a national priority. In his proclamation, the president wrote, I encourage citizens, government agencies, private businesses, nonprofit organizations, and other interested groups to join in activities that will increase awareness of what Americans can do to prevent and control cancer. We appreciate the president's attention to a disease that affects each and every American, and ACS CAN will continue to do all it can to ensure the fight against cancer is a priority among all of our nation's lawmakers. With this kind of focused attention, we can and will continue to turn the tide against this dreaded disease.
Even as Breast Cancer Awareness Month comes to a close, ACS CAN will keep working year-round, across the country and with both state and federal lawmakers, to advance the public policies we know will reduce the burden of breast cancer.