This was published in the Washington Post. Use the link below to read the entire letter. We need the research dollars and grants to cure cancer, I agree. BD
I'm Battling Cancer. How About Some Help, Congress? 
By Patrick Swayze
For me, fighting cancer is personal. Ever since I was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in January 2008, I've been waging an intense, often hellacious battle. It's me (with a lot of love and medical support) against my disease.
But I'm not alone. More than 1.4 million Americans will be diagnosed with cancer this year. In the United States, one out of three women and one out of two men will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetimes. Look around you; at one point or another, cancer will strike very close to home for everyone. Last week, it struck one of our legal titans, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who underwent surgery at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer during a routine checkup. She was already a colon cancer survivor. Both of us hope to be pancreatic cancer survivors, too.
Our individual battles should also be national ones. With Congress about to decide how much money to include for medical research as part of the economic stimulus package, the time has come to take my personal fight to a larger stage. My message to our senators and representatives is simple: Vote for the maximum funding to let the National Institutes of Health fight cancer and other life-threatening illnesses. It's not only good for our nation's health; it's also good for our economic well-being.
So here's my plea to Congress: Stand up to cancer. Stand up for people fighting serious disease. Stand up and help restore America's economy. Stand up and help build a prosperous and healthy future for our people by giving the NIH $10 billion for research. Stand up to create jobs, fight illness and deliver hope.
I'm Battling Cancer. How About Some Help, Congress? - washingtonpost.com
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