Recently, local resident Kelly Gmazel, along with more than 750 cancer patients, survivors and their loved ones from all 50 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and Guam, traveled to Washington, D.C., as part of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN)’s annual Leadership Summit and Lobby Day.
Kelly Gmazel, a local breast cancer survivor, met with the Michigan congressional delegation to urge them to support policies that increase funding for cancer research and prevention programs and to urge lawmakers to pass the Clinical Trial Modernization Act (CTMA).
In the last 30 years, substantial and steady increases in federal cancer research funding have fueled discovery and innovation that have led to a 34% decline in cancer mortality rates. Advocates will remind lawmakers that this incredible momentum in the fight against cancer is fueled by sufficient funding at key agencies, including the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the National Cancer Institute (NCI), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Gmazel also called on Michigan lawmakers to support the bipartisan Clinical Trial Modernization Act, or CTMA. This legislation would make it easier for all people with cancer to participate in clinical trials, including those in underrepresented populations, like rural residents, older adults, certain racial and ethnic groups, and those with limited incomes. The passage of CTMA is crucial to ensure more patients—regardless of their economic means or their geographic location—have a chance to enroll in clinical trials, ultimately giving more people a better chance in the face of a cancer diagnosis.