Lorene Nelson, a 63-year-old breast cancer survivor and ACS CAN volunteer, traveled from her home in Georgetown, S.C. to Washington, D.C. to share her story at a White House event held Oct. 15. Lorene joined Dr. Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden, and Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius on a nationwide conference call about about how the Affordable Care Act will benefit breast cancer patients and survivors. Five years ago, Lorene found a lump on her breast, but could not afford to visit the doctor for an examination. She got the screening she needed through the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program, a federal program that provides cancer screenings to uninsured and low-income women. With the Affordable Care Act now guaranteeing coverage of and eliminating copays for proven preventive tests such as mammograms, Lorene hopes fewer women will be denied the lifesaving care they need. LoreneÈs local paper, The Charleston Post and Courier, chronicled her journey to D.C. and her remarkable recovery story.
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.
