Cancer Patients and Survivors to Visit State Legislators to Urge them to Make Cancer a Priority

Volunteers to Meet with New Jersey Lawmakers to Ask Support for Programs and Services to Save Lives and Ease the Cancer Burden on Those Living with Cancer

TRENTON, NJ – May 6, 2019 – More than 100 cancer patients, survivors and caregivers from across the state will travel to the state legislators’ district offices this week to meet with New Jersey’s lawmakers about the need to support: New Jersey’s Tobacco Control Program funding; funding for the New Jersey Commission on Cancer Research (NJCCR), funding for the New Jersey Cancer Education and Early Detection Program (NJCEED); a cigarette tax increase; and Palliative Care legislation.

More than 53,000 New Jerseyans are expected to be diagnosed with cancer this year, and 16,000 will die from the disease. Those visiting their legislators are calling on them to change this by taking steps to make the fight against cancer a priority. The visits are part of the annual American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) New Jersey Cancer Action Week.

“As a 24-year cancer survivor, I will let my lawmaker know that the goal of eliminating cancer as a major health problem in New Jersey must be top of mind for our legislature,” said Bill Cronin. “By supporting appropriate funding for our Tobacco Control Program, increasing our cigarette tax funding and advocating for funding for the New Jersey Commission on Cancer Research as well as our education and early detection program, and supporting palliative care legislation, we could ensure progress continues to reduce suffering and death from this disease.”

“We will meet with our elected leaders as representatives of each one of the 53,000, who are estimated to be diagnosed with cancer this year in New Jersey,” said Cronin. “New Jersey’s legislature must commit to work to eliminate cancer’s impact.”

About ACS CAN

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.fightcancer.org

###