Cancer is the number one killer of people under age 85 and is the second leading cause of death for women. One in two men and one in three women will receive a cancer diagnosis in their lifetime. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has determined that the total cost of cancer, including medical treatments and the loss of productivity, exceeded $228 billion in 2008.
Statistics like these have led me to join with Camp Good Days and Special Times founder and chairman Gary Mervis to host a Cancer Summit on June 22nd. The summit will be held at 58 West Lake Road, Branchport, NY, 14418 from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. The public, press and health and research organizations are invited to attend. The Cancer Summit will focus on research and prevention and will bring together various organizations in an attempt to coordinate their efforts and improve the chances of finding a cure.
As many of you may know, I am a cancer survivor and I have committed myself to this cause. Mr. Mervis, who lost his daughter Teddi to the disease, has spent the past 30 years helping others in their struggle with cancer.
The underlying impetus for this action was President Obama's February 24th, 2009 announcement during a Joint Session of Congress that he wants to find a cure for cancer in our lifetime. When President Obama said that we will 'launch a new effort' to find a 'cure for cancer in our time,' I wanted to help. The last time a U.S. president took this action was in 1971 with President Nixon and the creation of The National Cancer Act. There has been silence in the White House ever since.
Now is the time to reinvigorate the fight but we cannot do this alone – we must have community action in this battle that affects everyone in some way. I hope to see you there.
Sincerely,
Eric J.J. Massa