(Livestrong Foundation Release--May 16, 2007) — Today Lance Armstrong and 200 cancer survivors from all 50 states are uniting with a bipartisan group of congressional leaders to support new legislation that is a bold expansion of access to early detection and corresponding early treatment and survivorship services. The Cancer Screening, Treatment, and Survivorship Act of 2007, introduced today by Senator Tom Harkin, Representative Jan Schakowsky, Senator Olympia Snowe and Representative Sue Myrick, is aimed at reducing cancer mortality rates and improving quality of life for those diagnosed with cancer.
“We refuse to accept that the most vulnerable Americans often suffer the greatest cancer burden,” said Armstrong, cancer survivor and chairman of the Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF). “We have a moral obligation to ensure that all Americans benefit from what we already know about preventing and surviving cancer. Today we are demanding that the federal government invest in strategies that save lives. This bipartisan effort is a critical first step.”
“The bill we are introducing today is personal for me, because I have lost four of my five siblings to cancer. With better detection and screenings, perhaps my siblings would have had a better outcome,” said U.S. Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA). But the good news is that there is hope for generations of Americans thanks to advances in prevention, screening, and treatment. We must expand access to these lifesaving services.”
“I am honored to join Lance Armstrong and my colleagues in the House and Senate today to unveil this critical piece of legislation,” said U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL). “Every one of us has been touched by someone with cancer. Too many of those lives, including my daughter-in-law Fiona’s, have been cut short because the cancer was not caught early enough. This bill will help us win the fight against cancer by expanding access to early detection
services and care for millions of Americans.”
This year close to 1.5 million people will be diagnosed with cancer and about 560,000 people will die from cancer in the United States – more then 1,500 per day, or one of every four deaths. However, by broadly applying what we know about early detection, the number of cancer deaths could be cut by at least one-third.
“Thanks to amazing medical advances, more cancer patients are living longer and healthier lives. As a breast cancer survivor, I thank God for each day I have, and for the preventive screening that detected my disease. It's my hope that this bill can efficiently expand access to preventive and survivorship services to those who most need them,” said U.S. House Representative Sue Myrick(R-NC).
The Cancer Screening, Treatment, and Survivorship Act of 2007 is dedicated to substantially reducing death and suffering due to cancer by increasing access to early detection and care. Further, the bill calls for strategic investments in research and in the cancer control infrastructure that would multiply those survival gains over time.
Cancer advocates from across the U.S. are joining the LAF in Washington, D.C., today to meet with their elected officials and affirm their support for the legislation. In addition, approximately 230 LIVESTRONG Day events will be held in communities across the country to unite Americans in the fight against cancer.
For more information about LIVESTRONG Day, visit www.livestrong.org.
About the Lance Armstrong Foundation
The Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF) unites people to fight cancer. The Foundation believes that unity is strength, knowledge is power and attitude is everything. We provide the practical information and tools people battling cancer need to live life on their own terms. We take aim at the gaps between what is known and what is done to prevent death and suffering due to cancer. We engage the public at large to pursue an agenda focused on preventing cancer, ensuring access to screening and care, improving the quality of life for people affected by cancer, and investing in needed research. Founded in 1997 by cancer survivor and champion cyclist Lance Armstrong, the LAF is located in Austin, Texas. UNITE at LIVESTRONG.org.
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