Dorothy Roof, Fertile, Minn., letter: War on cancer shows renewed promise

FERTILE, Minn. — As a cancer advocate, I was pleased that the president mentioned the importance of cancer research in his State of the Union speech.

I understand that in a difficult budget environment, elected officials must make tough choices about our national priorities. But I believe that ending death and suffering from cancer should have a dedicated spot on that list.

An estimated 1.6 million people in America will be told they have cancer this year, and nearly 580,000 people will die from the disease.

Our nation has made great progress in the fight against cancer through investments in research and prevention programs. But the only way we can end cancer in our lifetime is if we continue to sustain and increase the current level of funding.

Without that investment, groundbreaking research projects that could yield new discoveries face an uncertain future.

I am calling on the president and Congress to build on our past successes and continue to fund research and prevention programs that will find the best ways to prevent, detect and treat cancer.

Dorothy Roof

Roof is a volunteer with the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network.

Tags: in the mail, opinion, health, cancer, research, updates