Don’t drop the medicine ball

Cancer is soon to be the number one killer in America, according to Lance Armstrong, seven-time winner of the Tour de France and founder of the Lance Armstrong Foundation. At a National Call to Action on Cancer Prevention and Survivorship conference, Armstrong said that America has taken their eyes ‘off the ball’ on cancer and needs to modernize its approach to the cause.

Dr. Antonia C. Novella, former U.S. Surgeon General, emphasized the importance of dispelling the notion that cancer is a death sentence. Novella said that cancer poses an economic burden and that uninsured as well as underinsured Americans are increasingly challenged financially due to a cancer diagnosis. According to Novella, cancer survivors should also be given a comprehensive health plan upon their discharge. Novella said that after Hurricane Katrina, several displaced cancer patients needed to resume treatment elsewhere but their new medical teams did not have medical histories because they had been lost after the disaster. Novella said that this comprehensive plan has not been put into place yet because oncologists would not be reimbursed for their efforts or simply did not have the time for all the paperwork.

Richard H. Carmona, former U.S. Surgeon General, doled out somber statistics regarding cancer in the United States. According to Carmona, nearly 4,000 Americans are diagnosed daily amounting to more than 1.4 million new diagnoses of cancer in 2008. Carmona also said that cancer is the leading cause of death for people under the age of 85 and the leading disease-specific cause of death for young adults. Carmona said that the National Call to Action’s four goals are to empower healthy lifestyles, apply what is known about cancer screening and early detection in all people, ensure that everyone can navigate through the health care system, and provide survivorship care plans and support systems to all cancer survivors. Carmona emphasized that the National Call to Action would ultimately save lives, save money and improve the lives of the 12 million cancer survivors across America.

Elizabeth Edwards, Lance Armstrong on the hill to discuss cancer and work to be done

There was a full committee hearing this morning on "Cancer: Challenges and Opportunities in the 21st Century" with witnesses that included Elizabeth Edwards, wife of presidential candidate and former Senator John Edwards, in addition to Lance Armstrong, seven-time Tour de France winner and chairman and founder of the Lance Armstrong Foundation.

The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, headed by Senator Kennedy, is dedicated to renewing the "war on cancer." With the Senators praising the witnesses for their work and the witnesses doing likewise towards the Senators, the hearing was very inspirational with first-hand accounts from cancer survivors.

Mrs. Edwards, who is being awarded with the "Mother of the Year Award", was insistent on the fact that health insurance matters. She recounted a story of a young women who had cancer but did not have health insurance while highlighting the difficulties she faced while raising children.

Mr. Armstrong then told his story and was adamant on the fact that early detection was imperative. He was insistent that no matter what age, race or sex, everyone has the right to the proper health care - health care that can prevent, help with early detection, and treat disease.

With testimonies like this, and the confidence and hard work being put forth by these witnesses and others, hopefully the proper funding and work can be done to eradicate this disease.