WASHINGTON, D.C. September 28, 2015 More than 750 cancer patients, survivors and their loved ones from all 50 states and nearly every congressional district will be on Capitol Hill this week to ask members of Congress to make the fight against cancer a national priority. The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) is hosting its annual Leadership Summit and Lobby Day to urge lawmakers to protect funding for cancer research and prevention programs, endorse legislation that supports patients ' quality of life and ensure lifesaving colon cancer screenings are affordable for seniors. Members of Congress are putting aside partisan politics and voicing their support for increased funding for the fight against cancer, which will kill an estimated 589,000 people in America this year, said Chris Hansen, president of ACS CAN. Lawmakers can make their support for the fight against cancer a reality by passing laws that will help to eliminate death and suffering from this dreaded disease. In Capitol Hill meetings Tuesday, ACS CAN 's volunteer advocates will urge lawmakers to increase federal research funding at the National Cancer Institute (NCI). They will also encourage lawmakers to co-sponsor legislation that supports patients ' quality of life by increasing access to palliative care, an extra layer of support that can be provided at any age or any stage of illness. Additionally, they will call on lawmakers to close a loophole in Medicare that often results in surprise costs for seniors when a polyp is found during a routine colonoscopy. Today at noon at the Grand Hyatt Washington, advocates will hear from the directors of two leading cancer research centers -- Anthony Alberg, PhD, MPH, from the Medical University of South Carolina Hollings Cancer Center and Timothy Ratliff, PhD, from the Purdue University Center for Cancer Research -- about the impact of inadequate federal funding on promising research projects. Tuesday morning at 8:00 a.m., NCAA Division I basketball coaches Mike Brey from the University of Notre Dame, Mitch Henderson from Princeton University, Lon Kruger from the University of Oklahoma and Fran McCaffery from the University of Iowa will rally advocates as they head to Capitol Hill for meetings. The coaches are members of Coaches vs. Cancer¬, a nationwide collaboration between the American Cancer Society and the National Association of Basketball Coachesä¢. Tuesday evening at 8:00 p.m. will feature a moving ceremony at the U.S Capitol Reflecting Pool with more than 20,000 lights honoring cancer survivors and memorializing those who have lost their fight with the disease. Cancer patients and survivors will position the lights to spell HOPE and CURE on the steps adjacent to the reflecting pool. Actress and Stand Up To Cancer Ambassador Marcia Cross and former NFL player Chris Draft, both of whom cared for spouses battling cancer diagnoses, will speak at the event. The ACS CAN Lights of HOPE ceremony is presented by Celgene. ACS CAN will also honor lawmakers and others who have made exemplary contributions to the cancer fight. The National Distinguished Advocacy Award, ACS CAN 's most prestigious honor, is being presented to U.S. Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI), U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS), Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder (R), and New Orleans City Councilmember LaToya Cantrell.æ ACS CAN 's Judicial Advocacy Initiative award, which recognizes attorneys from law firms that generously donate their services to the cancer fight, is being given to Rebecca J. Merrill from Dentons. We are all just one degree from cancer a relative, a friend, a co-worker and many of us have faced the disease ourselves, said Christy Russell, M.D., volunteer chair of ACS CAN 's Board of Directors. The cancer patients and survivors who have traveled to Washington this week are here on behalf of the more than 14 million survivors and the families of the countless millions who have lost their battle, and they want a commitment from lawmakers to take action to defeat this disease. ACS CAN is the non-profit, non-partisan advocacy affiliate organization of the American Cancer Society, which is dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health problem. ACS CAN works to encourage lawmakers, candidates and government officials to support laws and policies that will make cancer a top national priority. ACS CAN gives ordinary people extraordinary power to fight cancer. For more information, visit www.fightcancer.org. FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT: Alissa Crispino or Steven Weiss American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network Phone: 202-661-5772 or 202-661-5711 Email: [email protected] or [email protected] #acscan #cancer #cancerlobbyday #LightsofHOPE #research #NIH #NCI
