Posted on January 29, 2020

The Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO) is honored to be presenting for the fourth consecutive year at a Town Hall panel for Less Cancer’s National Cancer Prevention Day on Wednesday, February 5th, 2020 in Washington, D.C. Hundreds of advocates, including lawmakers, health care providers, researchers, passionate students in the fields of nursing, medicine, and public health, and other Less Cancer supporters will gather that day on Capitol Hill, while many more will also participate via livestream. It is invigorating to have the opportunity to join global leaders in public health and medicine on this national day of awareness.

Held in the U.S. House of Representatives, Less Cancer’s workshop will also be live streamed on Facebook to their 60,000 followers in more than 40 countries. The event first began in 2013, after a U.S. House of Representatives resolution was introduced by Representative Steve Israel, then Co-Chair of the House Cancer Caucus. The day is now observed annually to highlight Congressional and other efforts to end cancer through prevention and awareness. As we at ADAO know all too well, while promising research continues, prevention remains the only cure for asbestos-caused cancers.

For both Less Cancer and ADAO, this means that the general public must be educated about how to better protect themselves from life-threatening cancers. Less Cancer employs what they term a “straightforward and focused” strategy toward this end, organizing high-impact events like February’s workshop and Cancer Prevention Caucus with lawmakers, as well as publishing the Less Cancer Journal. ADAO’s KNØW Asbestos resource aims for this same end — to provide concise, easily-understood materials that can prevent cancer before it ever needs to be treated.

Thank you to the Cancer Prevent Caucus Co-Chairs Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (D-MI) and Congressman Fred Upton (R-MI). Your leadership proves that preventing cancer is a bipartisan issue that all Americans should take seriously. 

Less Cancer’s National Cancer Prevention Day falls right at the beginning of National Cancer Prevention Month. In 2019, the American Cancer Society estimated 1,762,450 new diagnoses of cancer in the United States, with 606,880 people losing their lives from cancer. The American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) estimates that almost one-third of the most common cancers in the U.S. could be prevented if Americans moved more, weighed less and ate more healthfully. That’s approximately 587,000 cases every year that never have to happen. Add in not smoking and avoiding sun damage and that figure climbs even higher—nearly half of U.S. cancers could be prevented by changing our everyday habits. 

This February, ADAO would like to remind you that you can do your part in raising awareness of cancer prevention. World Cancer Day’s 2020 theme is #IAmAndIWill, calling on all participants to ask two simple questions: Who am I, and what can I do? The day of action encourages us all to consider the wide spectrum of ways that we can chip in on preventing cancer deaths, whether it is starting a small conversation or writing an op-ed for your local paper. Please your feelings and stories with us and throughout your social networks, especially since our network fuels efforts to raise awareness to prevent exposure. Join the conversation on social media by using the hashtags #lesscancer and #nationalcancerpreventionday. 

I look forward to sharing the news and updates I gather at this summit soon. Together we can end asbestos-caused cancers.

In unity,

Linda Reinstein
Social Networks