Gov. Branstad Honors American Cancer Society's 100 Years of Fighting Cancer

Governor Branstad Proclaims May 22 ‘American Cancer Society Day’ to Honor Organization’s 100 Years of Fighting Cancer

May 22, 2013 – Des Moines, Iowa – In honor of the American Cancer Society’s 100^th Birthday, Governor Branstad officially proclaimed May 22 as “American Cancer Society Day” at the Capitol, today, and urges all residents of Iowa to join together to finish the fight against cancer.

The American Cancer Society was established in 1913 as American Society for the Control of Cancer, and after 100 years, has achieved many milestones in the fight against cancer. To commemorate the birthday, the Society’s advocacy affiliate, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN), worked with the governor’s office to secure the proclamation.

“Over 100 years of saving lives and creating more birthdays, the American Cancer Society has led the way in transforming cancer from deadly to treatable and from treatable to preventable,” said Gary Streit, lead volunteer with ACS CAN. “Silence won’t finish this fight – action will. As the American Cancer Society continues to invest in cancer research and provide support and information for people with the disease, ACS CAN is working with elected officials and grassroots advocates to make this cancer’s last century. Now is the time to join together to finish the fight.”

American Cancer Society Day is meant to inspire people in the community to look for ways to get involved in the fight against cancer. Through the American Cancer Society, people can become part of cancer’s next research breakthrough by enrolling in the organization’s Cancer Prevention Study-3, participate in a Relay For Life® event, Making Strides Against Breast Cancer® walk or volunteer to help people with cancer in their community.

ACS CAN gives cancer patients and survivors a voice in calling on lawmakers to make the cancer fight a top priority. Through an extensive nationwide volunteer network, ACS CAN emphasizes the importance of federal funding for lifesaving cancer research and the need for people with cancer and their families to have access to quality health care, lifesaving screenings and smoke-free air in their communities.

In Iowa, ACS CAN has worked with the legislature to ensure more Iowa workers are protected from the deadly toxins in secondhand smoke by passing a statewide, comprehensive, smoke-free law, helped uninsured and underinsured, low-income women gain access to potentially lifesaving cancer screenings and treatments by protecting funding for the state’s breast and cervical cancer screening program and helped ensure health insurance coverage of patient care costs for those participating in clinical trials.  

“We thank Governor Branstad for his commitment to the fight against cancer by proclaiming May 22 as American Cancer Society Day,” said Streit. “The American Cancer Society’s 100^th birthday is an opportunity to get active in the battle to end cancer. We’ve never been more ready to work together to put the American Cancer Society out of business.”

Today, two out of three people with cancer survive for at least five years after diagnosis. The Society and ACS CAN have contributed to a 20 percent decline in cancer death rates in the United States since the early 1990s – helping to save nearly 1.2 million lives during that time. In fact, more than 400 people a day in the United States are celebrating birthdays that would have otherwise been lost to the disease.  

In 1944 the Society prioritized funding cancer research, and since then has funded 46 Nobel Laureates and is now the largest nongovernmental, not-for-profit funder of cancer research. The Society has played a role in nearly every cancer research breakthrough in recent history. Each year, they help cancer patients everywhere get the help they need when they need it. Last year alone the Society assisted more than a million people who called for help, providing free services like a place to stay while traveling for treatment, rides to treatment, emotional support and much more.

For more information about the Society’s 100^th birthday and how to get involved visit www.cancer.org/fight.

About the American Cancer Society

The American Cancer Society is a global grassroots force of more than three million volunteers saving lives and fighting for every birthday threatened by every cancer in every community. As the largest voluntary health organization, the Society's efforts have contributed to a 20 percent decline in cancer death rates in the U.S. since 1991, and a 50 percent drop in smoking rates. Thanks in part to our progress nearly 14 million Americans who have had cancer and countless more who have avoided it will celebrate more birthdays this year. As we mark our 100th birthday in 2013, we're determined to finish the fight against cancer. We're finding cures as the nation’s  largest private, not-for-profit investor in cancer research, ensuring people facing cancer have the help they need and continuing the fight for access to quality health care, lifesaving screenings, clean air, and more. For more information, to get help, or to join the fight, call us anytime, day or night, at 1-800-227-2345 or visit cancer.org.

About the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network

The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN), the nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy affiliate of the American Cancer Society, supports evidence-based policy and legislative solutions designed to eliminate cancer as a major health problem. ACS CAN works to encourage elected officials and candidates to make cancer a top national priority. ACS CAN gives ordinary people extraordinary power to fight cancer with the training and tools they need to make their voices heard. For more information, visit www.acscan.org.

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