Help Fight Cancer

A blogger friend I've never met face-to-face but who I consider one of my closest friends in some fundamental ways, has asked me to help spread the word about the Lung Cancer Alliance. My friend's husband is dealing with cancer (and he's never been a smoker) and she is understandably focused on his illness and how it can be addressed. More than that, she is working hard to get support from others who can use their voices to help ensure support for efforts to find treatments and cures.

The Lung Cancer Alliance - a group that does a lot of advocacy in raising awareness of lung cancer issues, is asking for help in getting people motivated to write to their senators in support Bill S.3187, the Lung Cancer Mortality Reduction Act, which was introduced by Senators Dianne Feinstein and Chuck Hagel. The legislation would authorize at least $75 million for lung cancer research under a comprehensive program aimed at reducing lung cancer mortality. Unfortunately, it seems that not enough people are aware of this bill, or are apathetic about contacting their senators to urge them to support the bill. Why? We don't know. Maybe they don't think lung cancer is a big issue because they think that lung cancer is a "smoker's disease" and doesn't deserve any funding (WRONG!!! see statistics down below - plenty of non- and never-smokers get it too!). Anyhow, at last count, only about 400 people had visited the webpage below to send an email to their senators. In an attempt to get more support for this bill, some of us are sending out personal messages to our friends asking them to go to this page and take a moment to fill out and send the form that should appear at this URL (the form is quick and easy to fill and send)
http://capwiz.com/lungcanceralliance/issues/alert/?alertid=11623916

My friend usually doesn't like to bother people about signing such petitions, etc. but would appreciate it very much if you folks would add your support, and if you know of anyone else who might be willing to sign it, to forward this message or the text of it along to others. Hopefully, with enough support, this legislation will pass and lung cancer research will start to get the funding that it deserves. What is needed is a Manhattan Project to find a way to reduce or stop the incredible number of lives being taken by this cancer. Below, I've included some facts about lung cancer -- some statistics that most people don't seem to be aware of but that ought to spur just about anyone to take action.

From the Lung Cancer Alliance's "Facts"
** Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the United States among every ethnic group. 1 in every 3 cancer deaths is from lung cancer. An average of 439 people die from Lung cancer in the U.S. every day. (my note: That's about equivalent to all of the passengers on a large commercial airline jet dying in a crash each and every day.)


** Lung cancer will kill more people than breast, prostate, colon, liver, kidney, and melanoma cancers... combined.

** Lung cancer kills nearly twice as many women as breast cancer.

** Lung cancer kills over three times as many men as prostate cancer.

** One in five women and one in twelve men diagnosed with lung cancer have never smoked.

** Over 60% of new lung cancer cases are never smokers or former smokers, many of whom quit decades ago.

** Only 16% of lung cancer cases are diagnosed at its earliest and most curable stage.


** The majority of lung cancer patients are being diagnosed so late that they will die within a year.


** National Cancer Institute (NCI) : Over the past 35 years, NCI’s budget has grown from $380 million a year to $4.8 billion a year in fiscal year 2007 (FY07) – an increase of 1265% - and NCI has complete control over how to spend the money. Even though lung cancer causes one in every three cancer deaths, lung cancer research received less than 5% of NCI’s budget in FY07.

** Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Congress also earmarks funding within CDC for specific cancers. The CDC budget for FY07 includes $201 million for breast and cervical cancer initiatives, $13.9 million for prostate cancer and $14.4 million for colon cancer. CDC budget for FY07 included $0 for lung cancer initiatives. Yes.. you read that right.... $0.00 for Lung cancer, even though one in three who die from cancer will die from lung cancer.