There are a number of variations on the colloquialism of “talk is cheap.” Unfortunately, this phrase characterizes what our state government has done to arrest Iowa’s alarming increase in cancer incidence rates over the past year. Bills providing state funding for cancer research, removing the casino exemption from the Clean Indoor Act, increasing the Iowa tax on tobacco products, restricting the use of tanning beds, alleviating the cost of medical debt incurred by cancer patients and other initiatives that would have started moving the needle on reducing the burden of cancer for our fellow Iowans all fell by the wayside. At the same time, more than 6,300 Iowans died from cancer in the past year, and more than 20,000 people in Iowa first heard the dreaded words “you have cancer” in the past 12 months. At the federal level, funding for cancer research at the National Institutes of Health and the National Cancer Institute is in jeopardy. It is in times like these that private organizations like the American Cancer Society have stepped forward to offer hope and comfort to our fellow Iowans.
I have been a proud volunteer for the American Cancer Society since 1977. Over that time, I have seen tremendous progress made in the fight against the burden of this dreaded disease. My own successful treatment for prostate cancer is the result of advances in detection and treatment to which many researchers funded by the American Cancer Society contributed over the past many decades. For that I am grateful beyond belief.
However, I feel compelled to do more than to simply be grateful. I am not a doctor or a research scientist; the only way I can actually do something about cancer is through volunteering for and financially supporting the work of the American Cancer Society. Helping fund the research and education programs of the American Cancer Society is a tangible way to save lives and prevent deaths from cancer.
The American Cancer Society continues to be the largest source of private cancer research funding in the United States. The 33% decline in cancer mortality rates since 1991 is due, in no small part, to the education and research work of the American Cancer Society to reach its vision to “end cancer as we know it, for everyone.” The $3.1 billion that the American Cancer Society has invested in cancer research since 1991 has contributed to more than 4 million fewer deaths from cancer over that same time period. These research dollars are at work across the country in laboratories and other research settings, including more than $2.8 million in grants in effect at the Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Iowa. Fifty Nobel Laureates were funded by the American Cancer Society early in their careers. Their discoveries have contributed to medical advances across all disease categories—not just cancer.
The impact of the American Cancer Society is broader than its world-class research programs. The clear, evidence-based information on cancer diagnosis and treatment is available to everyone at no cost 24 hours a day, seven days a week at www.cancer.org. Each year, hundreds of thousands of people dealing with cancer or their families, friends or caregivers can dial 1-800-ACS-2345 any time of the day or night and reach a trained social worker who can respond to their questions or just be a friendly, supportive voice.
In 2024 alone, The Russ and Ann Gerdin American Cancer Society Hope Lodge in Iowa City provided over 13,000 nights of free lodging to almost 1,000 guests receiving cancer treatment at the Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center, resulting in a savings of over $2 million that would have otherwise been spent on lodging. In addition, the American Cancer Society partnered with health systems across the state to provide $200,000 to support transportation and lodging assistance for their cancer patients, helping cancer patients across Iowa. My fellow American Cancer Society Road to Recovery volunteers and I provided more than 600 free trips to cancer treatment for Iowans in 2024.
To support the Linn County Relay for Life and raise money for the American Cancer Society, I am walking from Cedar Rapids to the Hope Lodge in Iowa City on Monday, May 5. My sore feet will not begin to approach the physical and emotional pain endured by those who are going through cancer treatment or the losses suffered by their families and loved ones. Every step I take will be made in memory of all of those who have faced cancer in their lives or to honor those who are dealing with their cancer diagnosis. Your financial support will truly enhance the lives of all Iowans and would be very much appreciated. Online donations can be made at https://bit.ly/4kTB3DU.
Gary Streit has served as Chair of the National Board of Directors for both the American Cancer Society and the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network.
