I'm Stepping Up to Cancer

Something big is happening on September 5th. And I’m not waiting until that day to tell you about it. Because I want you to get excited, get involved and tell others about it as well. On September 5, 2008, Stand Up 2 Cancer is bringing attention to a big issue that affects almost everyone I know. Cancer. Funding for cancer research. And a cure.

You see, government funding for cancer research is being reduced. And it’s time to stand up (hence the name) and do something about it. ABC, NBC and CBS will broadcast a telethon at 8pm on the 5th. But you can do more than tune in. In fact, if you don’t want to, you don’t have to get out of your chair. Here’s how you can get involved.

Hit up Stand Up 2 Cancer on facebook. Tell your friends about it via e-mail. Launch a star, for a small donation, in honor or in memory of someone who has fought cancer of any kind. Follow SU2C on twitter to keep up to date. Blog about it as well.

But the most important thing you can do (short of donating billions of dollars) is to email your Congress men and women. I did it yesterday. Took me less than five minutes. I used the ready-made letter, added a personal note, slapped my info on it and sent it off. That easy. I know you have five minutes. If I have five minutes, you have five minutes. Trust me on this one.

I’ll be writing some here on the blog over the next fourteen days, twelve hours, nine minutes and forty-eight seconds left until Stand Up 2 Cancer’s telethon starts. (Or, that was how much was left before I was interruped by two kids who also have an interest, thanks to genetics, in finding a cure for cancer. And, apparently, an interest in breakfast. The nerve.)

For those who don’t know, my Mom was diagnosed with breast cancer last September. It came as a shock, as it does for most people. It’s not the only cancer that has run through our family. Mom is now healthy after radiation and surgery. But it’s not the end of the battle for our family. In fact, the boys have it on all sides of the family. I’ll be talking more about our family battles over the next two weeks.

Join us as we Stand Up 2 Cancer. (And then visit Judy. Because she’s my favorite cancer warrior.)