Fight Back

When people talk about the fight against cancer, they aren't just talking about those facing the disease first hand. They mean the efforts of millions more who care about saving lives, diminishing suffering from cancer, and eliminating cancer as a major health threat once and for all. In communities across the globe, the American Cancer Society offers people opportunities to fight back against cancer through advocacy and volunteer efforts and events like Relay For Life®. By raising much-needed funds and awareness, every one who takes part in Relay helps support the Society's lifesaving mission, and in turn, helps fight back against a disease that affects so many.
 

Fight Back through research!

This year, selected Relay events in Ohio are offering the unique opportunity to participate first-hand in a landmark new study, the Cancer Prevention Study-3 (CPS-3). The American Cancer Society will be enrolling people into CPS-3, a long-term study that will help researchers better identify the lifestyle, environmental, and genetic factors that cause or prevent cancer. You can help spread the word about CPS-3 by sending a eCard to your friends and family.

To take part in this landmark new study, visit the Cancer Prevention Study-3 website to find an enrollment location near you and for more information about how to participate in research today for a cancer free tomorrow!

To learn more about how you can Fight Back, visit http://www.RelayForLife.org/.
 

Health Care Reform

In 2005, the American Cancer Society recognized that one of the biggest barriers to reaching its goals of reducing cancer deaths was an inadequate health care system that denies millions of people timely access to quality cancer care even among those with health insurance.  Signature areas in which the Society and ACS CAN could achieve the greatest impact were defined and geared to align with patients' needs:

• Prevention and Early Detection
• Meaningful Health Insurance
• Quality of Life throughout Life

"Health care reform" is focused on ACS CAN's legislative efforts to improve our nation's health system. The American Cancer Society and ACS CAN have elevated the health care reform debate at the national level "through the cancer lens." But health care reform is only one piece of Access to Care initiative. Other efforts through research, education and health promotion, and media outreach also seek to increase our knowledge and understanding of how improving access to care can help in the fight against cancer.

Check back daily starting on May 15th for the 50 ways you can get active on health care reform. For 50 consecutive days, you will be given 50 different ways you can fight back and make your voice heard.