Letter: Bill supports biomarker testing
This letter originally ran in the Lincoln Journal Star.
News
House Party Review
February 25, 2009
With a cancer survivor, as well as various care-givers in attendance, the overwhelming feeling of the guests at tonight's ACS CAN Presidential Address
Party was that the President exceeded expectations in addressing health care in his speech.
Not only did he call for reform that will provide quality, affordable health care for all Americans, he specifically advocated for seeking a cure for cancer in our time - a true crowd pleaser at the party.ξ Of course, these are big promises that cannot escape some skepticism. However, it is my hope, and likely the hope of anyone who has personally suffered from or witnessed a loved one suffer from cancer, that the President and our government leaders will succeed in bringing these promises to fruition.
As mentioned by President Obama, the cost of health care now causes bankruptcy every thirty seconds. This hits home. I recently witnessed several friends, who thought they were secure in their jobs, lose not only their employment but their relied upon health insurance. I've seen that this loss of insurance can be more of a blow than the loss of income associated with job loss. This is especially so in the case of a pre-exisiting condition, like cancer. One attendee at tonight's party shared with me that her mother practically went bankrupt while battling cancer. This is unacceptable. I am hopeful and encouraged that we are on the right path to put an end to this national tragedy. Why should one American be entitled to adequate healthcare and not his/her neighbor just by virtue of the health plan that his/her employer selected?
The majority of the guests at this evening's party were already members of ACS CAN and this is to the credit of ACS CAN and its continuously growing grass-roots network. ACS CAN is clearly making its voice heard as demonstrated by the fact that cancer was the only disease referenced during
the course of President Obama's health care focus tonight. Nonetheless, in order to further the reach and effectiveness of ACS CAN, we need to continue to recruit additional ACS CAN members and ambassadors as well as raise additional funds to pursue ACS CAN's efforts. As such, I encourage all of the guests who attended the viewing of the President's speech at my home, as well everyone who tuned in to the President's speech tonight and who has been affected in someway by cancer, to use tonight as a stepping-stone to continue the fight against this disease. Why not become a member of ACS CAN if you're not already? Perhaps call or write to your legislators about access to health care and make your voice heard. Maybe write a letter to your local newspaper editor in follow-up to tonight's speech and in further pursuit of our goals and objectives. Together our voices have been and will continue to be heard!
Editor's Note - Aimee B. is an ACS CAN State Lead Ambassador for New Jersey and a longtime advocate on cancer issues