Editor’s note: The following letter was submitted by Annette Fetty-Santilli.

For millions of people across the United States, cancer is personal. As the sister of a brother who passed away from pancreatic cancer, I know firsthand how important cancer prevention, research, and early detection are, which is why I traveled from Clarksburg to Washington, D.C., to tell our lawmakers that cancer needs to be a top priority.

Along with 750 other American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network volunteers from across the country, I told our federal legislators that any cuts to federal cancer research and prevention funding threaten our progress in the fight against ALL cancers.

We must adequately fund the National Institutes of Health and ensure that scientific breakthroughs can reach patients by passing the bipartisan Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage Act, which would provide coverage for new early detection tests once they are FDA-approved.

Thank you, Annette Fetty-Santilli