Local Cancer Survivor Will Travel to Nation's Capital to Urge Congress to Make Cancer a Top Priority

Sep 20, 2018 at 11:45 am by bryan


On September 25, 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 1,670 people a day in this country.

Tammy Sandlin from Murfreesboro will meet with Congressman Scott DesJarlais and U.S. Senators Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker to discuss the need to support an increase in federal funding for cancer research. She will also ask them to co-sponsor legislation that supports patients' quality of life and to support legislation that would close a loophole in Medicare that often results in surprise costs for older Americans when a polyp is found during a routine colonoscopy.

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Tammy has been a caregiver to her mother and to her younger sister as they battled breast cancer. In 2013, Tammy herself was diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer. After a year of treatment, she was cancer free until 2017 when her cancer returned with a vengeance finding a home by her heart, liver and back. Today, she is a fierce advocate for cancer research funding which will hopefully lead to new screening options for cancers like ovarian where there is no good screening option currently. She also makes it her mission every day to connect with and help others fighting this battle.

"Roughly one in three Americans will hear the words 'you have cancer' in their lifetime. We need a full and unwavering commitment from Congress to take action to help prevent and treat cancer," said Sandlin. "We want our lawmakers to know that volunteers from Tennessee, and from every state across the country, are counting on them to take a stand."

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