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A Day of Hope

by Calif. Dem. Rep. Lois Capps - 09/21/06 9:07 AM ET

Yesterday I joined over ten thousand people at the American Cancer Society’s Celebration on the Hill, which honors cancer survivors and those who are no longer with us. From across the country survivors and their loved ones, including several of my constituents from the Central and South Coast, came to Washington, D.C. to advocate for additional resources to continue this difficult struggle. With everyone wearing the same color t-shirt, the National Mall was transformed into a sea of purple. What a glorious sight!

The folks visiting our nation’s capital today came from many diverse backgrounds, but they were united in their message of hope and dedicated to the goal of eradicating cancer. As I met with these Celebration Ambassadors I was both humbled and inspired.

I took their message of hope with me during yesterday’s meeting of the Energy and Commerce Committee which was dedicated to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) budget. The research conducted by the NIH is a matter of life and death.

The research funded by the NIH provides hope for millions of cancer survivors, their loved ones, and the doctors, nurses, researchers and other health professionals that help fight this battle against cancer. I have been relentless in my fight to see funding for NIH increased. It is my hope that yesterday’s Celebration on the Hill will convince more of my colleagues to join me in supporting this life saving research.