To The Leader

 

SILSBEE, Texas – Next week, nearly 700 cancer patients, survivors, volunteers and staff from all 50 states and nearly every congressional district will unite in Washington, D.C., as part of the annual American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) Leadership Summit and Lobby Day. Advocates will ask Congress to take specific steps to make cancer a national priority and help end a disease that still kills more than 1,660 people a day in this country. 

Nancy Neel from Silsbee will meet with Texas leadership to discuss the need to support an increase in federal funding for cancer research. This is her first year as ACS CAN Texas’ State Lead Ambassador. Neel and her team of advocates will also ask their Congressmembers to co-sponsor legislation that restricts flavoring of tobacco products to protect kids, support legislation to improve patients’ quality of life and to close a loophole in Medicare that often results in surprise costs for older Americans when a polyp is found during a routine colonoscopy.

The passage of H.R. 1017, the Removing Barriers to Colorectal Cancer Screening Act, is a top priority for Neel. She was the caregiver for her elderly father, who survived colon cancer thanks to early detection. Her family witnessed the benefits of palliative care throughout the cancer journey of her aunt – who was ultimately moved to a hospice facility with a staff trained in this crucial support system for patients and their families.

 “I am incredibly excited to advocate for the to help represent the 124,000 Texans who will be diagnosed with cancer this year,” Neel said. “Texas is a big state, and we need a big commitment from Congress to take action to help prevent and treat cancer.”