ZIONSVILLE — Hoosier cancer survivors traveled to Washington this week to urge lawmakers to maintain — and increase — federal funding for cancer research, and the Indiana chapter of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network was recognized for its grassroots advocacy.
Justin Hage, a Zionsville native who was diagnosed with stage 3 testicular cancer at 30, told lawmakers his own survival is the result of federally funded research.
“I was 30 years old — that’s a relatively young age for someone to be diagnosed with cancer,” Hage said. “Our son was 11 months old. I was in law school at night. I was working full-time, so there was a lot already in our lives, so that complication was definitely scary.”
Hage, now cancer-free, credited researchers such as Dr. Larry Einhorn, whose chemotherapy regimen, he said, helped boost survival rates for the disease from about 5% to about 95%.
The group voiced concern about proposed cuts to research funding. According to the American Cancer Society, the administration has recommended an $18 billion reduction to the National Institutes of Health budget — a move advocates say could undermine progress against cancer.
While in Washington, Indiana advocates said they saw movement on legislation to expand coverage for multi-cancer early detection tests. The legislation would create a pathway for Medicare to cover new multi-cancer early detection (MCED) tests once they are approved by the Food and Drug Administration and clinical benefit is shown. ACS says MCEDs have the potential to test for multiple cancers at once with a single blood test.
“The House Ways and Means Committee had a markup of that bill and voted it out 43-0 unanimously, and there is actually a bill in front of the Energy and Commerce Committee as we speak, having a hearing on that right now,” Hage said.
“Our advocates, their stories, humanize what our asks are, and they are the constituent voice and really are showcasing why these policies matter so much,” said Natasha Johnson, the Indiana grassroots manager for the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network.
The Indiana volunteer team for ACSCAN won an award for its 16-year campaign to raise taxes on all tobacco products in the state, the organization said.
