Last year 1.5 million Americans were diagnosed with cancer. Every year 560,000 Americans will die from the disease.

Over the past five years federal funding has been flat for cancer research. The effect of flat funding has been devastating. The rate of medical inflation far outstrips the rate in the general economy. This means that in real dollars, each and every year, the funding for cancer research has declined precipitously.

We have reach a critical period where many research labs are closing down. Research to follow up new discoveries is being abandoned and the next generation of researchers are either leaving for Europe or finding alternative jobs.

This week the United States Senate has the historic opportunity to significantly increase cancer research funding for the first time in six years.

We must take advantage of this opportunity and urge our U.S. Senators to increase cancer research funding.

This week the U.S. Senate will be voting on the Fiscal Year 2009 Congressional Budget Resolution, which would increase funding for the National Institutes of Health by $1 Billion. Senators Arlen Specter (R-PA) and Tom Harkin (D-IA) plan to offer an amendment on the Senate floor to increase NIH funding by an additional $2.1 Billion. Increased funding in the FY09 Congressional Budget Resolution will establish a blueprint for the Senate to dramatically increase funding for cancer research and programs during the appropriations process later this year.

Email or phone your U.S. Senators today and request that they support the Specter-Harkin amendment! Time is limited, so please do it today.

Kathy Meade has written a sample letter which is always best to personalize it.

Dear Senator:

This week you have the historic opportunity to increase cancer research funding for the first time in six years. Senators Arlen Specter (R-PA) and Tom Harkin (D-IA) have proposed an amendment for the Fiscal Year 2009 Congressional Budget Resolution that would increase funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) by $2.1 Billion. As a person impacted by prostate cancer, I urge you to support the Specter-Harkin amendment on the Senate Floor this week.

Prior investments in cancer research, education, prevention, awareness, treatment, and control at NIH have brought real progress in the fight against cancer. While cancer rates have been dropping for more than a decade, flat funding for cancer research and control in recent years is jeopardizing the progress we have made.

With your commitment, we can move closer to conquering cancer. Please vote to for Specter-Harkin amendment to increase funding for NIH and make cancer a priority again.

Thank you,

An easy and quick way to telephone your Congressional representatives is to call the toll-free central Capitol switchboard at 1-888-460-0813 and ask to be connected to their offices.

Remember: Be polite and respectful! The person who takes your call may not be able to give a direct answer on where your Senator or Representative stands, but be assured – your call counts!

If you prefer to email, go to this link https://web.archive.org/web/20120118004641/http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/

Joel T Nowak MA, MSW