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Cancer-Free Celebration: Lance Armstrong Hitting the Road on Texas Bus Tour to Urge Voters to Support Proposition 15

Posted on: Wednesday, 3 October 2007, 18:00 CDT

The Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF) announced yesterday that its chairman and founder will host a statewide bus tour beginning October 13 to urge Texas voters to support Proposition 15 and strike an unprecedented blow against cancer. The announcement was made on a day celebrated by Armstrong as the 11th anniversary of his cancer diagnosis

"We're going to hit the road to urge Texans to vote for Proposition 15 and make an investment in their own lives and the lives of their loved ones," said Armstrong. "Cancer has touched the life of every single Texan and it's the number one killer of people under the age of 85. But in recent years, federal funds to fight cancer are one the decline and it doesn't look like that's going to change. We can't wait for Washington. With Prop 15, Texas is going to lead the charge in the fight against cancer."

Proposition 15 is a constitutional amendment that would create the single largest state-level investment in cancer research, prevention, early detection and control programs in the nation. If approved by voters, the initiative will establish the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas, responsible for distributing $300 million in grants to cancer prevention and research programs throughout the state each year -- starting in 2010 and continuing through 2019. This historic investment will save lives and spur economic growth with the creation of new jobs and the construction of new research facilities and laboratories. By encouraging grantees to seek matching funds, the initiative will help trigger outside and private sector investment as well.

This year, more than 95,000 Texans will be diagnosed with cancer, and more than 37,000 Texans will lose their lives to the disease. Cancer costs Texans $30 billion a year in direct and indirect costs. Nearly 600,000 American lives are lost to cancer every year.

Armstrong will launch the bus tour on October 13 in Austin at the Texas State Capitol and then travel to events in Dripping Springs, the Dallas/Ft. Worth area, Houston and San Antonio. He also will discuss Proposition 15 on KLRU's "Texas Monthly Talks," airing in Austin October 4.

Texans must register to vote by October 9. Early voting begins October 22 and ends November 2. Election Day is Tuesday, November 6.

About the Lance Armstrong Foundation

The Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF) unites people to fight cancer, believing that unity is strength, knowledge is power and attitude is everything. We provide the practical information and tools people battling cancer need to live life on their own terms. We take aim at the gap between what is known and what is done to prevent death and suffering due to cancer. We engage the public at large to pursue an agenda focused on preventing cancer, ensuring access to screening and care, improving the quality of life for people affected by cancer, and investing in needed research. Founded in 1997 by cancer survivor and champion cyclist Lance Armstrong, the LAF is located in Austin, Texas. UNITE at LIVESTRONG.org.

Source: Business Wire

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