A short time ago, I asked you to write to your legislators and encourage them to increase the nation’s investment in cancer research and early detection programs in the federal government’s 2009 budget.

This funding is crucial to discovering and delivering the cures that we so desperately need.

Thanks to your efforts, both the Senate and House appropriators have proposed an increase in federal spending on cancer research and cancer control programs – but we are not there yet.

The current session of Congress is drawing to a close, we need your help now to get the budget passed before time runs out.

Don’t let your efforts go to waste! Write your members of Congress today and ask them to support an increased investment in critical cancer research and early detection programs.

The proposed funding increase will be a great step toward getting agencies like the National Institutes of Health (NIH), The Department of Defense (DOD) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI), the funding they need and we deserve.

We need your help now to make sure this funding is approved!

Right now there is an unique opportunity during this session of Congress to increase our funding for the fight against cancer. In fact, the proposed funding would be the first real increase in funding in 6 years. If passed by the full Congress, this funding could save so many of our lives and the lives of our family members!

We must act quickly.

There will be a key committee meeting tomorrow about the proposed funding for the NIH and NCI – write to your members of Congress and encourage them to support this important investment in cancer in the 2009 budget. Please do it now

Thank you for all that you do to help end prostate cancer forever. Together, we’ll make sure that prostate cancer becomes a national priority. (go to: www.prostatecancerpetition.net)

Joel T Nowak MA, MSW