Michael Sapienza, Chief Executive Officer of the Colorectal Cancer Alliance, shared a post on LinkedIn:
“Yesterday, I had the profound honor of speaking on Capitol Hill with Ed Market Senator Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Congressman Andre Carson (IN-07), to introduce the Asal Sayas National Strategy on Young Adult Cancers Act.
The legislation aims to establish a national strategy to address the surge of cancer among young adults in this nation, and is named for Asal Sayas, a champion for cancer advocacy. She worked tirelessly on Capitol Hill and with advocacy organizations including the Colorectal Cancer Alliance to raise awareness and education, and demand more resources for research and treatments to address the cancer epidemic. Asal passed away from colorectal cancer in April at the age of 42.
Asal’s work is not done – her legacy lives on through this legislation, and we must push for its passing. Young adult cancer rates continue to climb, and colorectal cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in people under 50. Too many lives are being lost too soon.
The Asal Sayas National Strategy on Young Adult Cancers Act aims to improve awareness, education, and research through federal campaigns targeting young adults to help change the trajectory of this disease.
As the leading nonprofit dedicated to ending colorectal cancer, the Alliance will not stop until this bill is law. It’s a commitment we made to Asal and to every life lost too soon.”
To which Timothy Cannon, Medical Oncologist- Gastrointestinal Malignancies, Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Virginia, Sheridan Director of the Inova Molecular Tumor Board, Section Chief Hematology/Oncology Fairfax Hospital, added:
“A profoundly touching ceremony- it was an honor to take part in remembering Asal and seeing the launch of the new bill in her name.”
Other articles featuring Michael Sapienza and Timothy Cannon on OncoDaily.
