Brenda Jo Gillund, Grand Forks, letter: Congress can help in fight against cancer

GRAND FORKS — Recently, I traveled to Washington to represent cancer patients and survivors from North Dakota to call on Congress to make cancer a national priority.

I joined more than 600 American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network volunteers from across the country to ask lawmakers to protect funding for cancer research and prevention programs.

I met with Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D., and representatives in the offices of Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., and Rep. Rick Berg, R-N.D. I made it clear that Congress needs to put partisanship aside on behalf of the nearly 14 million cancer survivors in the United States and more than 1.6 million people in America who will be diagnosed this year.

Funding for research at the National Institutes of Health, for cancer prevention at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and through the new Prevention and Public Health Fund must be top priorities in the federal budget.

Legislation recently introduced in Congress to improve the quality of life for cancer patients also must be an important priority.

By making these lifesaving programs a priority, we will ensure that progress continues in the fight against cancer.

Brenda Jo Gillund

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