Cancer Research the Focus of Rolling Exhibit

By Mike James, The Daily Independent, Ashland, Ky.

Jul. 11–RUSSELL — A mobile message board for cancer awareness will roll into Our Lady of Bellefonte Hospital’s Bellefonte Centre Saturday.

The American Cancer Society’s Fight Back Express will be at OLBH from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. as part of a six-month tour to take the cancer-fighting message to elected officials.

“It’s a way of bringing awareness of cancer-related issues to the state and federal government,” said ACS area director Morgan Pore.

The Fight Back Express is a tour bus that visitors can write on, leaving messages and sharing their stories and concerns about cancer. They can also send text messages to legislators.

The tour, which started in May, will travel through the lower 48 states, concluding in Washington, D.C., on election day.

“People can tell about loved ones they’ve lost or talk about legislation in support of cancer care,” said OLBH Director of Nursing Jeani Thomas, a cancer society Cancer Action Network volunteer.

The message lawmakers need to hear is the need for accessibility and affordability of cancer care, Pore said. “This is a way to do that. Sort of like a petition on wheels.”

The tour is as much an emotional release as it is a lobbying tool, Thomas said. “It will bring some relief and a way to speak out.”

She encouraged people to visit the bus. “We hope everyone will come out and send messages to our elected officials to join us and support laws and policies that will help fight a disease that will kill 9,500 people in Kentucky this year alone.”

The Cancer Action Network supports policies and legislation for cancer-related issues including prevention and early detection, increased funding for research, and tobacco control. Its Web site is www.acscan.org.

MIKE JAMES can be reached at mjames@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2652.

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