Budget Failure from the Super Committee and the introduction of "ACS - What Next?"

Obviously, the Finance Super Committee failed in its attempt to forge a deficit reduction deal to cut $1.2 trillion dollars from the current deficit.  What you may not have known is that the automatic budget cuts set for 2013 will have a dramatic impact on the fight against cancer. 

On Thursday of last week, I received an email from Erin O'Neill, the Senior Director of Grassroots Campaigns for ACS-CAN, the lobbying arm of the American Cancer Society. 

"By law, [this failure] will lead to huge cuts to funding for cancer research as well as programs that help detect, prevent and treat cancer. This means more lives lost, instead of lives saved," she wrote. 

Congress still has time to fix this next year.  As survivors, caregivers, Relayers, and ACS supporters, we need to step up and be ready to act in 2012. What would you be able to do?

I'll help recruit more action takers

I'll promote ACS CAN campaigns on Facebook and Twitter

I'll take online actions when I receive ACS CAN emails

I want to get involved locally in my community

Erin's email continued:  "As a grassroots organization, our strength comes from the actions of our volunteers. We feel privileged to have you as part of our team and know we can count on you to help us succeed in 2012.

Every day, 1,500 people in America lose their lives to cancer. For all of us whose lives have been touched by this disease, we cannot and will not fail."

I've always thought our strength lies in our passion and our numbers.  We do this because we can, and we do this for those who can't. 

**ETA - Success!  I just received the following text message from ACS CAN - "Huge Victory!  Congress passes FY12 budget with an increase in funding for cancer research.  Congrats to all ACS CAN volunteers." - Amazing news!

On a brighter note, the American Cancer Society has rolled out a new website forum dedicated to answering questions about cancer.

"What Next?" allows cancer patients, survivors, and caregivers to post questions to the forum and receive answers from a wide range of participants.  It is a peer-to-peer website, so questions receive multiple responses from people who have gone through the same situations. 

The great part is that it can search people to find a perfect match.  You may search by diagnosis, role, state of treatment or cancer, age, gender and state.  "What Next?" is here to help you help yourself and others.  Your experience is invaluable to others. 

 Don't forget to follow us on Facebook! You can also reach the website at http://www.relaybridgewater.org/ or email us at relaybridgewater@gmail.com.