WASHINGTON  -  The War on Terror conjures up images of soldiers in uniform, acts of unprovoked violence against innocent Americans, and a global effort to defeat a faceless enemy.  But anyone who has ever learned that they or a loved one has been
diagnosed with cancer knows the crushing blow dealt by that news.  The differences and similarities between the War on Terror and the war on cancer are striking.

Those who fight cancer wear the uniforms of doctors, not soldiers.  The battlefield,  instead of being far and wide, is on a microscopic, cellular level.  And instead of occupying the front pages of our national papers, the war on cancer is such a fact of American life that we live with the reality that this disease will be a leading cause of death for us and our families.

Yet there are similarities to tell a different story.  The victims are men, women, and children,  and the attacks are unprovoked.  The enemy is anonymous and evasive.  We have to seek it out with the intention to destroy it where it lives.

The fact that cancer can strike any American, anywhere, at any time adds to the fear
we feel of this dreaded disease.

But today, thanks to advances in science and technology, a cancer diagnosis is far from a death sentence.  I have good friends who have fought that battle and triumphed.  But cancer can kill, and it is a dangerous adversary.  My husband fought this battle with all of his being, his humor, and his great inner strength – and he lost. 

One of my closest friends called me just this week to tell me she has been diagnosed with cancer, and that she knows her battle with this disease is beginning.

In Southern Missouri, we all know people who have faced this fate.  Through my
congressional office, I have received numerous letters, heard many stories, and seen many photographs of families who have battled cancer here at home.  Cancer has taken some of us while others have survived – you can lose all hope and survive it, just as you can have the best attitude and cancer can still win.

The most important similarity between the war on cancer and the war on terror, however, is that we must use the information we have to stop them both before grave damage is done.

Our best weapons in the arsenal to fight cancer are family, research, and early detection.

For men and women who express warning signs or begin to meet the risk factors of the most common forms of cancer, early detection can stop cancer in its infancy and save your life.  These things are essential: regular visits to the doctor, mammograms and prostate exams, proper skin care, knowledge of your family history, and awareness of the risks posed by smoking, sunbathing, an unhealthy diet, and so on.  Your doctor can help you reduce your vulnerability to advanced phases of many different types of cancer.

Once cancer has breached our defenses and is detected in our bodies, we see two sides to the disease.  First, there is the physical treatment, administered by doctors.  Then, there is the emotional treatment, just as important, provided by our families and friends. Our spiritual strength is an invaluable companion whether it is us battling cancer or a loved one.

And finally, there is the matter of scientific advancement.  We are fighting cancer on the front lines through continuing research at the National Institutes of Health, universities and health centers, and research hospitals across America.  Congress continues to fund these operations because, just like terrorism, cancer is a threat to our well-being and quality of life. 

 
The funding to learn more about cancers is just as important as the aggressive treatment of them.  In Congress, I have hundreds of thousands of reasons to fight for more of this research and greater federal attention to cancer.

As we prioritize all of these efforts in the war on cancer, the chances of Americans improve that we will defeat this silent and small, but pervasive, enemy.  The war on cancer is a war worth winning, and in each of our families, we already know the best reasons why.