On September 20, 2012 I traveled to Washington, D.C., to represent cancer patients and survivors from San Manuel to call on Congress to make cancer a national priority. I joined more than 600 American Cancer Society Action Network (ACS CAN) volunteers from across the country to ask lawmakers in our nation’s capitol to protect funding for cancer research and prevention programs.

I met with the offices of Sen. Jon Kyl, Sen. John McCain and personally met with Rep. Paul Gosar, to make it clear that Congress needs to put partisanship aside on behalf of the nearly 14 million cancer survivors in the United States and more than 1.6 million people in America who will be diagnosed this year.

Funding for research at the National Institutes of Health and for cancer prevention at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and through the new Prevention and Public Health Fund must be top priorities in the federal budget.

Legislation recently introduced in Congress to improve the quality of life for cancer patients must be an important priority.

By making these lifesaving programs a priority, we will ensure that progress continues in the fight against cancer.

/s/Cecy Wasko

Volunteer, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network

San Manuel, AZ

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