Keeping NET cancer and politics separate

In this battle against NET cancer I try to keep politics to a minimum. I wear a Walking with Jane button on my hat or on my jacket wherever I go. But Tuesday I volunteered to hold a sign at a polling place, so the button came off.

My wife is dead as a result.

NET cancer is not a Democratic issue or a Republican issue. NET cancer is a human issue.

What I need to write about tonight, however, requires me to encourage some small political action on the part of all of those who care about NET cancer.

NET cancer and the fiscal cliff

Over the next several weeks the Congress will work to resolve the tax and budget issues that constitute what people call the fiscal cliff. January 1 is the day both the Bush tax cuts expire and the sequester goes into effect. People say the combination of these two events will be disastrous for the country as a whole.

The best thing for us may be if the sequester never happens…

It will certainly be disastrous for cancer research in general—and NET cancer research in particular. The sequester calls for a ten percent cut in the budget for the National Cancer Institute. That is the group that dispenses federal money for cancer research.

Cutting NCI’s budget

I very much doubt the NCI will simply cut all its programs and grants by 10 percent. Rather, it will look at the programs it has and determine which should continue to be funded—and which should not.

NET cancer has been chronically underfunded…

After 40 years of nothing, NET cancer finally has funding from NCI for two projects. My fear is those grants will be among the programs eliminated when NCI has to find things to cut. NET cancer has been chronically underfunded for decades. Every dollar counts for us.

NET cancer, NCI and Congress

The best thing for us may be if the sequester never happens—but only if we can convince Congress to make cancer research immune from the cuts that are coming.

The sequester calls for a ten percent cut…

So I am asking each of you to write to your congressman and your senators. I am asking each f you to ask them to find a reasonable compromise in the face of this fiscal cliff—and that any compromise they do reach finds a way to protect funding for cancer research in general—and NET cancer in particular.

And I am asking that you write a similar letter to the head of NCI asking for ongoing support of the two NET cancer grants regardless of the sequester.

Counting NET cancer’s human cost

We sacrificed 40 years of progress the last time we faced cuts at the federal level.

NET cancer is a human issue.

My wife is dead as a result; Sunny Carney is dead as a result; more than 400,000 others are dead as a result; and at least 120,000 others are currently at risk as a result.

We need to make the people in Washington pay attention. We need to protect NET cancer funding.