We spent about $3 million nationally on NET/CS research last year. That is not exactly a lot, but it was every penny raised by

a number of small foundations–and then some.

I’ve already written about what we spend on the different cancers, and I’ve already detailed how little $3 million will buy versus the $100 million Caring for Carcinoid estimates it will cost to find a cure. And over the last several months, there have been some significant donations made that were not there a year ago.

There have also been some significant breakthroughs in recent months that will shortly find their way into publication–breakthroughs that are significant steps toward finding a cure. But they are only steps. And if we are going to take full advantage of their promise, we are going to need far more resources than we have now.

I’d like to see us double that $3 million raised last year. And I’d like to double that amount again next year and again the year after. That would take us to $24 million for 2014. And that would open up lots of possibilities we do not have now.

The question is: How do we get there?

The short answer is, we get there one idea at a time, one donation at a time, one event at a time.

The longer answer is the $3 Million Dollar, 3 Million Person March. There are potentially three million people walking around with NET right now who do not know they have it. Three million dollars represents $1 for each of those potential patients. We want to reach three million people with the simple message of what NET is and what it does before the end of the year. We want each of those three million people to make just a $1 donation to doing the research and the education that will put this disease back on its heels.

Will we take a bigger donation than $1? Absolutely. But in terms of raising awareness, we want to reach three million people.

So starting next month, I am going to start pounding the pavement–and pounding the keyboard. I am going to put together a letter about NET and mail it to every newspaper I can think of. I am going to send that letter to everyone I know–to everyone I have an address for. And at the end, I am going to ask each of them for $1 so that we can find answers to this disease.

I am going to go door-to-door in my neighborhood and talk to people about NET and ask each of them for $1.

I am going to seek out organizations I can speak to about NET. And at the end of each speech, I am going to ask each person in the audience for $1.

From now through September 9, the money I raise that way will go into the Dana-Farber Marathon Walk. That money will go to support research at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute’s Program in Neuroendocrine and Carcinoid Tumors. Money raised after that will go directly to the Walking with Jane Dybowski Fund at Dana-Farber to support research and education about NET and CS.

Obviously, I don’t know three million people. That’s where all of you come in. You can learn the symptoms of NET right here. You can share that information with the people you know. You can ask each of them to contribute $1–and then send us a check for whatever you raise.

You can arrange for me to speak to your local Chamber of Commerce, Kiwanis, Knights of Columbus…

You can copy the letter I will put together and send it to the people on your Christmas Card list.

Start today. Send $1 to Walking with Jane, P.O. Box 9721, Fall River, MA 02720.

And share this note with as many people as you can.

Together, we can raise the money to kill this cancer.