Tuesday, April 28, 2009

CANCER SUMMIT

As I talked about in my last blog posting, I have long been frustrated that we as a country have not done more to defeat cancer, a disease that this year will kill more than 560,000 of our mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters and children. However, in his address to Congress this February, President Obama provided the opening, when for the first time since President Nixon in 1971, he stated that cancer is a disease that touches all of us and we can defeat it in our lifetime.

I am so pleased to announce that my Congressman, Eric J.J. Massa, has asked me to lead a grassroots effort, through an initial workshop, to be held this coming June at the Camp Good Days’ Recreational Facility in Branchport, New York, for medical practitioners; those who provide support and educational services to cancer patients and their families; those who are battling cancer; and those who have survived their battle.

We hope this workshop will provide the venue in which we can all come together and discuss ways in which we can develop this grassroots effort for our country’s commitment to bringing the war on cancer to the forefront of the public’s attention and the government’s agenda, as well as map out the steps necessary to defeat this disease.

As I first saw hanging on the wall at the Fred Hutchinson Bone Marrow Transplant Center, and now hangs on the wall here at Camp Good Days…”There is no limit to what we can accomplish, as long as it doesn’t matter who gets the credit.”…and it is my sincere hope that you will support us in this effort!