Stand Up To Cancer: Join The Movement

Over the past month, between the Olympics and the political conventions, America has had its share of inspiring moments. One of the most moving images was Senator Kennedy fiercely addressing the Democratic National Convention. Here was a man afflicted by a vicious disease that affects one out of every three women and one out of every two men. Senator Kennedy showed us all, regardless of your political point of view, how to, quite literally, Stand Up to Cancer.

Next Friday night, Americans will be able to take the energy, the passion and the pride they have felt during the past few weeks and take a monumental step towards bringing about the end of cancer. On Friday, September 5th (8pm EST and PST) three major networks--ABC, NBC and CBS--will simulcast Stand Up To Cancer, a landmark television event designed to rally the public and raise millions of dollars- funds that will ensure new therapies for afflicted cancer patients as dollars are streamlined through an innovative funding and distribution model to scientists with the great minds needed to cure cancer.

For the first time of this magnitude, Stand Up To Cancer is bringing together the world's leading scientists, doctors and researchers in different backgrounds and disciplines to join together on "Dream Team" projects, which will bring groundbreaking therapies to patients faster. This model allows for 100% of public donations to go directly towards the fight against cancer. Since 2003, the US government's cancer budget has been cut, steadily. Stand Up To Cancer is looking to reverse that trend, make cancer part of the national debate and raise funds, and effectively use those funds to help eradicate a disease that kills a disease that kills 1500 Americans a day; one every minute--more than 500,000 Americans and more than six million people worldwide every year.

Directed by the Stand Up To Cancer Advisory Committee through the American Association of Cancer Research, the Stand Up To Cancer funding model will make the most of the money we raise. Below is a fun, short, animated video entitled "Where the Money Goes," which explains how. The video is directed and animated by Jim Cooper, who illuminated the complex issues of the writers strike with his popular "Why We Fight" video. Narrated by Paul Rudd, "WT$G" features music from indie rock pioneer Mac McCaughan as Portastatic.

We've set the stage to change the lives of millions of people affected by this disease. The one variable we need is your help. I want to invite all of you to have your inspirational moment. Watch the show next Friday at 8, 7 central- as its producer, I promise it will be entertaining and uplifting. Host a viewing party. Visit standup2cancer.org. Add Stand Up to Cancer as a Facebook Cause. Download the inspiring "Just Stand Up" donated by LA Reid and Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds and a galaxy of stars.

Host this widget on your website or blog.

Send your kid to lunch with Judd Apatow ( this will cost you ).

Launch a star in honor of someone who has received a cancer diagnosis.

Use your voice, creativity and talents to advocate on behalf of this cause. And, if you can, donate to Stand Up To Cancer- no matter the amount you donate, I promise it will go toward saving lives.

Senator Obama's mother died of ovarian cancer. Senator McCain battled melanoma. For all of our differences as Americans, standing up to cancer can unite us. It is my hope that whoever wins this November pledges that, by the end of the next decade, we will end cancer's reign as a leading cause of death. In the meantime, we as a people must lead the charge. This is where the end of cancer begins.

Comments

[pkym1]

Join our official Facebook page to support the study of cancer. We can make a difference!

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=26431629505&ref=ts

[bcm17]

FYI

I found an interesting web site that will donate money to cancer research just by surfing the web like usual - http://www.karmaswitch.com/about.html.

[culturaldiplomat]

I think this is a great cause. Charity events help offset what is lacking in the public sector. People are free to donate or not but the most important thing is awareness, not ignorance. On a personal note, my father is now suffering form 2 forms of cancer and I can't understand why we are unable to participate in the event given my media blog and father's situation. It would be great to include other outlets in the event for interviews and awareness. Perhaps the PR companies controlling this event are missing the point? Please feel free to include us at culturaldiplomat.com. It will make all the difference.

[Gasparro]

Ms. Ziskin's wealth from Spiderman alone could make an event like this totally unnecessary. Sorry, but will give my money where it's truly needed.

[Swerinjer]

How about let's meet to make the government go back to full funding. Charity drives like this enable the repugs in destroying the government.

[greenwatchdog]

The 'inconvenient truth' is that BIG PHARMA/ BIG BUSINESS are controlling our lives. What is the motive to cure cancer when they are making BILLIONS of $ in PROFIT?
DRUGS are currently under investigation for CAUSING cancer, PRODUCTS we use on our bodies, in our homes, on our children and pets, contain synthetic, toxic chemicals linked to cancer.

WHERE DOES ALL THE MONEY GO? WHO does it go to? ? Cancer Prevention Coalition has some answers.

Instead of giving money to the UNKNOWN...save it . Refuse to buy products that are unsafe, research ingredients in products you use on Skin Deep database, DEMAND that the FDA stop aligning themselves with the cosmetic/ chemical/ pharmaceutical industries. Go online. Organic Consumers Association, Breast Cancer Fund and Cancer Prevention Coalition. Read articles by Devra Davis.
I 'm arming myself with knowledge and keeping my money to buy safer products and food.
StandUp2Cancer MAY have "prevention" in mind, but I'm not convinced. I want to see a list of WHO is getting this money and WHAT they are doing with it.
Do the 'stars' realize the money they make from promoting toxic, synthetic cosmetics, acne treatments, anti-aging creams, sport drinks etc. is NOT standing up 2 cancer, but promoting it?
I've lost my father, my brother-in-law, and my dear neighbor. Cancer took them 1 by 1 and as long as we don't arm ourselves with knowlege, the war on cancer, will not be won.
Stand Up 4 your children, pets and Yourself!

[Wildcelt]

It's refreshing to find someone who's done some research while commenting
on a marketing blitz by Hollywood's elite...
I represent a women's health forum & we wanted to share our 'take" on Ms. Ziskin's
mamouth endeavor...please take time to read the following:

http://www.wildcelt.com/health_forum.html

I think we're somewhat on the same page here!

Wildcelt.com

[OtayPanky]

I'm all for making life better, but this post raises troubling questions.

First, we're all going to die, sometime, of something. Our cells are going to misbehave, tire out, whatever. And we need to come to grips with that stark fact of our mortality. No amount of charity given, or science performed, is going to change that fact.

Second, there's a finite amount of resources such as time, money and scientific attention to go around. What makes cancer more worthy of my donation dollars than - say - making sure that the rest of the world has clean water to drink? Or focusing more efforts on - say - fighting autism which is apparently reaching epidemic proportions.

And what about spending whatever resources are available on fixing the known causal factors - pollution, etc - rather than on trying to cure individuals who are already afflicted with the results of those causes?

And finally, is Al Gore right? Are we really looking at a ten year window to global catastrophe - a window that is closing as we speak? If so, isn't that the most compelling use of our time, money and scientific personnel?

These are non-trivial questions. Perhaps the blogger will respond to them.

[Lesscancer]

Laura thanks so much for your great work in the fight against cancer. The Standup to cancer programming mainstreams the critical message that for so many is unspeakable.

But to fight the fight we must not bury the pain of the past but to push for solutions for the future.

Every family in every neighborhood across America has felt the pain cancer can bring. Cancer is not an unlucky role of the dice. Never before have the incidences of cancer been so high both for children and also in adults where specifically the leaps in cancer incidences are unrelated to smoking.

Cancer touches all both young and old. Cancer has become so prevalent it has now become an expected stage of life. Never before has there been more cancer. While the cure and early detection must never be underestimated- we must press to find solutions to preventing cancer. Cancer must be headed off at the pass.

Bill Couzens Founder Lesscancer.org

[clevelandchick]

I'm pretty much over the 'Cancer Movement'...it's nothing but a money operation now They could work with the Environmental Movement to eliminate all of the cancer causing chemicals used on our food, on our land, in our air and water but no, we get ribbons, rubber wristbands and 10K's. Whatever.

I lost my mother two years ago, not to cancer but to chemo. Her MRI came up clear in September before her last prescribed round of chemo, but she was having trouble keeping weight so they put it off for 2 months. When she held a stable weight (92lbs) for three weeks her doctor talked her into one last round of chemo. A month later she died at a weight of 55lbs. She starved to death because that last round of chemo destroyed her system. She was terminal anyway but her last MRI showed nothing, regardless they talked her into one last session to get one last wad of cash out of her.

Her oncologist would not tell my father there was no hope even though she weighed less than 60 pounds. You know those pictures of Holocaust victims? My mom looked worse. But the doctor refused to release her until we insisted...11 hours later she died.

The story is worse than I've even recounted here. Yeah I'm angry. I effing hate the Cancer Movement they need cash to keep it going so there's really no incentive for a cure.

[LordMoon]

Well, I think at this point some of us have realized that the experts need our help.

We can help them by standing up to Cancer every day. When we insist that we will no longer be used as Guinea pigs by the Chemical industry.

We can read the labels on our food, and not buy products that contain High Fructose Corn syrup, refuse to eat food containing GMO's, refuse to spray our lawns with herbicide, our houses with pesticides, and avoid wearing synthetic fibers... We can oppose the use of Genetically Modified Sugar from sugar beets in children's cereal, RBST in Dairy foods.

The list grows longer every day. Because American's are routinelly exposed to 80,000 common chemicals. Many of which have never been evaulated for carcinogenic properties.

There are many things we can do to protect our children, our famlies and those we love.

[WinterSoldier]

As long as the health insurance industry prevails as it exists right now, ditto.

[ICanHasDemocracy]

if only Congress could have stood up to Bush, and a percentage of 482 billion dollars could have been funneled into cancer research- so what do we do? We emptyour own pockets because the Military Industrial Government can't be bothered. I lost my dad to lung/prostate cancer related illness, an Aunt to Lymphoma, a grandmother I never knew to Breast Cancer...i believe the human race has had a post-industrial hand in this, and we need to fix it.
I will be tuning in/tivo'ing it.

[demockracy]

Un-mentioned in this story is the role that U.S. public policy plays in producing diseases. Public policy currently subsidizes meat and milk consumption, as well as empty non-animal calories (high fructose corn syrup) processed by the large agribusinesses. Michael Pollan ("The Omnivore's Dilemma") writes that, in the U.S., 40% of agricultural income comes from subsidies. "It's like laundering money for ADM and Cargill" says one farmer in the book.

Animal protein is implicated in cancers of all types (and in osteoporosis, alzheimers, and auto-immune diseases like lupus, and diabetes). Read "The China Study" by Colin Campbell for the full story.

Here are some videos with details of just how unhealthy it is to eat animals:

http://www.vegsource.com/video/colin.htm
http://www.vegsource.com/video/mcdougall.htm
http://www.vegsource.com/video/ornish.htm
http://www.vegsource.com/video/ess.htm
http://www.vegsource.com/video/barnard.htm

[jojojo]

Since prostate cancer , according to the NIH, gets about 30% as much funding as breast cancer, while occurring about as often as breast cancer with nearly as many deaths, I make my cancer-related donations specifically to prostate cancer research.

[zagyzebra]

As long as the pharmaceutical industry prevails, this effort is an exercise in futility.