LANCE ARMSTRONG AND CANCER ADVOCATES TAKE ON CAPITOL HILL FOR LIVESTRONG DAY
Lance and LAF Advocates Say Cancer Should Be a National Priority

AUSTIN, Texas - May 17, 2005 - Today Lance Armstrong and 100 cancer survivors from all 50 states are in Washington D.C. to represent the Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF) and cancer survivors everywhere in meetings with their Congressional representatives.  Advocates are demanding that their legislators invest in resources, treatment and services for everyone battling cancer.

"In the past 30 years we have learned how to detect, prevent and treat many types of cancer," said Lance Armstrong.  "But we're still not doing enough.  Today we're asking Congress to invest in our health and our future.  We need an additional $360 million next year to support the kinds of cancer programs and institutions that save lives." 

Thirty years ago a cancer diagnosis was often a death sentence.  Today the national investment in cancer research has reaped remarkable returns, including potential cancer vaccines, improved detection technologies and targeted, less invasive therapies. 

Despite this progress, cancer still strikes one in two men and one in three women in the U.S.  Today the LAF, Lance Armstrong and cancer advocates are asking Congress to make cancer a national priority and to continue to invest in institutions and programs that save lives, for example:

• National Cancer Institute programs that result in early diagnosis and treatment - programs like one in New York that increased colon cancer screenings among low-income women by nearly 25 percent.
• Center for Disease Control programs that target the cancer prevention, detection and treatment needs of each local community.
• Early detection programs for breast and cervical cancer to serve an additional 130,000 women.

The LAF advocates also will encourage legislators to support the CDC's Comprehensive Cancer Control Program to reduce cancer suffering and death from cancer through prevention, early detection and treatment, as well as the National Cancer Survivorship Resource Center, which helps people with cancer address the physical, emotional and practical challenges of their survivorship experience. 

In addition to the LAF's efforts in Washington, D.C., approximately 100 LIVESTRONG Day events will be held in communities across the country to support the more than 10 million Americans living with cancer.

For more information about LIVESTRONG Day, visit www.livestrong.org. 

About the Lance Armstrong Foundation
The Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF) inspires and empowers people affected by cancer. We help people with cancer focus on living; we believe that unity is strength, knowledge is power and attitude is everything. From the moment of diagnosis, the LAF provides the practical information and tools people with cancer need to live life on their own terms. The LAF serves its mission through advocacy, public health and research. Founded in 1997 by cancer survivor and champion cyclist Lance Armstrong, the LAF is located in Austin, Texas. For more information, visit www.livestrong.org.