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This is the organization we are supporting witht the Bucket Ride, and what they are achieving in real tim. Please read and get inspired as I have. We need your support for this event, success is a beautiful thing.
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Dear Pancreatic Cancer Action Network Supporters:
We have all worked very, very hard during the past five years to educate members of Congress about pancreatic cancer, to tell our stories of courage and hope, and to secure passage of thePancreatic Cancer Research & Education Act. We are extremely honored and proud to announce that all of our voices have been heard. The bill, under its new name, the Recalcitrant Cancer Research Act, has passed Congress in both the U.S. House and the Senate! The final step is for the bill to go to the President’s desk for his signature, which based on current information, we expect will happen before the end of the year.
We cannot underscore enough what an accomplishment it is that we have passed this bill. This moment is a true testament to the passion and dedication of our entire community. We have done what nobody thought we could do. We raised our voices loud and clear, told our story and offered a solution.
The final bill is the result of countless hours of working with our dedicated and tireless bill sponsors, Representatives Anna Eshoo (D-CA) and Leonard Lance (R-NJ) and Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), to keep it moving even when obstacles got in our way. In the end, modifications were needed to get the bill across the finish line, including shifting the focus of the bill from pancreatic cancer to recalcitrant cancers in general. Also, while the U.S. House passed the bill as a stand-alone measure, the legislation was attached to the Defense Authorization Actin the Senate and ultimately passed as part of that bill. Please click here to learn more about the final bill.
This bill represents an unprecedented milestone in the history of pancreatic cancer. Although it does not include everything that we had originally wanted, this legislation is an extremely important step forward and is something that we should celebrate together as a community. It is the first substantive legislation for pancreatic cancer and will require the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to evaluate its current efforts in researching the disease and focus on ways to improve outcomes.
Not only is the legislation itself important; the visibility and overall news attention about pancreatic cancer that we have generated is significant as well. We have made it very clear that the pancreatic cancer community has strength, power and purpose. With this bill, we have taken an important step as part of our comprehensive approach to fighting pancreatic cancer and reaching our goal to double the survival rate by 2020.
Many of you may remember that emotional day in March of 2008 when Carnegie Mellon University Professor Dr. Randy Pausch, who passed from the disease in July of that year, bravely testified before Congress, urging them to make pancreatic cancer research a national priority. Subsequently, many of you have shared your own stories of love, heartache and perseverance in facing pancreatic cancer. We know from conversations we've had with members of Congress and their staffs that your stories have left memorable impressions.
Now, we need you to write to your members of Congress and thank them for their support of this bill. We also need you to write to President Obama and let him know we want his support when this bill arrives at his desk for his signature. Please click here to send a message to your members of Congress and to the White House.
Thank you so much for your incredible efforts and tremendous work on behalf of the bill! We are here today celebrating this important milestone because of what you have made possible. We have been relentless in our pursuit of leading a charge to change the course of history for pancreatic cancer. We have won a major victory, but our work is not done. Your continued commitment to move forward with us is essential. Our comprehensive approach to fighting this disease is what helped to move this bill over the finish line, but going forward, we must continue to ensure that our nation’s policy makers hear our collective voice so that pancreatic cancer remains a top priority in our national research efforts.
We know that if we continue to work together to advance research, support patients and create hope, we may anticipate celebrating even more successes that will lead to better outcomes for our patients. This achievement has proven that working together, we can move mountains and do what many thought was impossible. Again, thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your inspiring passion and determination to change the course of history for pancreatic cancer.
Sincerely,
Julie Fleshman President and CEO Pancreatic Cancer Action Network |
Peter Kovler Chair, Board of Directors Pancreatic Cancer Action Network |
