The 5th Annual Livestrong Day

Lance Armstrong published an important Op-Ed in the Wall Street Journal today - you can read it here (subscription required).

Three of my close friends, all in their 20's, have been diagnosed with cancer in the last 12 months - one just this last week. I also have an aunt that survived breast cancer.

I would imagine that every reader of this post has a loved one that has fought or is fighting the disease now....so this issue probably hits close to home for everybody... and if it doesn't now, it almost surely will sooner or later.

Here is the core of the article:

...increased funding is only part of the solution. Government must streamline the laborious process of getting breakthroughs from lab to clinic. We can cut out red tape of questionable necessity that discourages innovation in the private sector.

Meanwhile, the private sector must work to ensure that Americans fighting cancer have access to new treatments and therapies. Our regulatory system should not hinder the fight against cancer, and our profit-based health-care providers should do more to address the fact that too few people can afford the treatments they deserve.

....What can you do? Ask your local, state and national lawmakers what steps they'll take against tobacco, the number one cause of cancer, and how they'll ensure that all of us – not just star athletes and politicians – have access to prevention efforts, early screening and effective treatment. Educate yourself and others. Support cancer programs in your community. Live a healthy life. And vote.