Miss America 2024 winner Madison Marsh took her efforts to advocate for pancreatic most cancers consciousness and analysis to Capitol Hill on Thursday.
In affiliation with the Pancreatic Most cancers Motion Community (PanCAN), Marsh met with eight representatives on the Hill to push for elevated funding for pancreatic most cancers analysis inside the Nationwide Institutes of Well being (NIH), the Nationwide Most cancers Institute (NCI) and analysis packages inside the Division of Protection.
Marsh and Julie Fleshman, president and CEO of PanCAN, met with a wide range of legislators from each chambers, together with members from the Home and Senate Appropriations committees, the Home Methods and Means Committee, and the Senate Well being Committee
“Life is simply too brief,” Marsh informed The Hill. “I need to guarantee that everybody, to the fullest extent attainable, has the entire assets to equip them to outlive a illness like pancreatic most cancers.”
The pair additionally met with Home Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.).
Marsh’s mom handed away from the illness in 2018 when she was simply 41 years previous. As a part of her mission on Capitol Hill, Marsh hoped to share her story and people of others affected by pancreatic most cancers.
Fleshman and Marsh advocated for a rise to $51.3 billion in NIH funding in addition to for NCI funding to rise to $7.93 billion and the Division of Protection sector to spice up its common most cancers analysis to $25 million, with a particular allocation for analysis centered on pancreatic most cancers.
“We’re educating members of Congress about pancreatic most cancers, in regards to the danger components, the signs, the truth that there isn’t any early detection check, the truth that there aren’t sufficient remedy choices,” Fleshman stated. “The best way we resolve for the all of these issues is by rising analysis funding for for the illness.”
Pancreatic most cancers is presently some of the tough cancers to deal with, sitting at a five-year survival price of simply 13 p.c.
Nonetheless, Fleshman famous there may be a number of “momentum” within the pancreatic analysis area. In 1999, the survival price for the illness was simply 4 p.c when there was minimal federal and philanthropic funding in pancreatic most cancers analysis, she stated.
Marsh and Fleshman met with representatives with a “private connection to the illness,” together with Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Rep. Terri Sewell (D-Ala.). Different lawmakers the pair met with embody Reps. Steve Womack (R-Ark.), Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.) and Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) and Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.).
“We will not make extra change if we’re not placing within the time and the actual work,” Marsh stated. “It begins with individuals proper right here in D.C.”
Up to date at 6:40 p.m. EST
