Plymouth Sun Sailor: I'm a cancer voter

To the Editor:

A great deal of Plymouth families, like mine, have been negatively impacted by cancer. My mom died of colon cancer in 2010. I was just 19 years old, my brother just 16. I felt powerless at times. Since then, I have been driven to ensure that, someday, no other teenager has to lose a parent to cancer.

And I learned something important: our political leaders can bring a lot of power to the cancer fight. But you don’t have to join a political party to be involved in politics. I belong to a non-partisan advocacy organization called the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network. ACS CAN helps me make sure my lawmakers and candidates know what actions I want them to take to reduce the burden of cancer in our community.

ACS CAN does that by making sure all parties know that cancer is an important issue that touches everyone. As part of its Cancer Votes program, ACS CAN works to make sure candidates understand how policies, laws, and funding all contribute to the fight against cancer, no matter which party is in power.

I am calling on Jeff Johnson and Tim Walz to complete the ACS CAN Cancer Votes Candidate Questionnaire. I want to know where they stand on making fighting cancer a priority in Minnesota.

Caitlin DeVos

Plymouth