Join Fight Colorectal Cancer March 5 – 7, 2012 in Washington, DC

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Suzanne Lindley is living with stage IV colon cancer and recently traveled to DC to participate in the 2010 Call-on Congress in order to:

“Share my voice and experience for a disease that is preventable, treatable, and beatable. Advocates from across the country joined together wearing Cover Your Butt t-shirts and descended upon Capitol Hill to encourage legislators to support three legislative proposals that will help us win the fight against colorectal cancer.”

Read more about Suzanne’s Call-on Congress experience in Cure Magazine.

When Suzanne met with her Members of Congress, she asked them to cosponsor legislation that will create a national screening and treatment for colorectal cancer similar to what we currently have in place for breast and cervical cancer.

Is your Representative a cosponsor of this important legislation?  If not, today is your chance to call your Representative and get them to cosponsor H.R. 1189.  Call 1-866-615-3375 anytime from 9 AM to 5:30 PM EDT, and ask your Representative to cosponsor H.R. 1189.

Don’t know what to say when you call?  We have a detailed script that you can use.

Rochelle Joseph is a 10-year, stage III colon cancer survivor from Upper Marlboro, Maryland by way of Dallas, Texas.  She was diagnosed in 1999 just after completing graduate school at the age of 26. After six weeks of radiation and chemo, Rochelle underwent a colectomy to remove her tumor and proceeded with seven months of adjuvent therapy.

Rochelle took time off from work to participate in the 2010 Call-on Congress because:

“I believe that awareness, education, and early screening and detection are paramount with a preventable disease like colon cancer.”

Read more about Rochelle’s story at Fredricksburg.com.

When Rochelle met with her Members of Congress, she asked them to cosponsor legislation that will create a national screening and treatment for colorectal cancer similar to what we currently have in place for breast and cervical cancer.

Is your Representative a cosponsor of this life-saving legislation?  If not, today is your chance to call your Representative and ask him/her to cosponsor H.R. 1189.  Call 1-866-615-3375 anytime from 9 AM to 5:30 PM EDT, and ask your Representative to cosponsor H.R. 1189.

Don’t know what to say when you call?  We have a detailed script that you can use.

Josh and Kimberly Wimberly

Josh and Kimberly Wimberly traveled from Alabama to Washington DC, and participated in C3′s 4th Annual Call-on Congress earlier this week.  They met with Representative Spencer Bachus’s health policy staff and asked for the Representative’s support of legislation that will help save thousands of lives and increase awareness regarding the importance of early detection and screening for colorectal cancer.

As a direct result of their efforts, Representative Bachus signed on to cosponsor the Colorectal Cancer Prevention, Early Detection, and Treatment Act (H.R. 1189).

Is your Representative a cosponsor of this important legislation?  If not, call the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121 and ask your Representative to cosponsor H.R. 1189.  Or take a minute to email your Representative and ask them to cosponsor H.R. 1189.

* * * Remember, the House of Representatives is set to vote on health care reform Sunday afternoon.  As a result the House email system and Capitol Switchboard are experiencing high volumes of traffic.  If you can’t get through today please try again next week.  We need your voice to win the fight against colorectal cancer!! * * *

Advocates from across the country participating in C3′s 2010 Call-on Congress had the opportunity to get tips on having effective meetings with Members and Congressional staff from two staffers whose bosses are champions for the colorectal cancer community.

Theresa Vawter, Legislative Assistant for Representative Kay Granger (R-TX) who is the sponsor of the Colorectal Cancer Prevention, Early Detection, and Treatment Act (H.R. 1189) which would put in place a national colorectal cancer screening and treatment program participated in a panel along with Tom Wharton, Health Care Legislative Assistant and Speechwriter for Representative Dan Boren (D-OK).  Representative Boren is the sponsor of the Colorectal Cancer Screening and Treatment Act (H.R. 1330) which will help to increase population-based screening rates for colorectal cancer by requiring all health insurance plans, both individual and group, to cover a colonoscopy for anyone age 50 or older.

Theresa and Tom spoke with the advocates about why each of their bosses is such a champion for colorectal cancer issues.  Like too many Americans, both Representative Granger and Representative Boren have lost family members to this disease.  Each is using their position as Member of Congress to push legislation that if enacted will lower the cost of colonoscopies and expand access to screening and treatment services. Read the rest of this entry »