A few weeks ago, I posed “A Call to Action“. In the article, readers were asked to contact their US Representatives and ask them to support a bill that proposed to designate May as “National Brain Tumor Awareness Month”. Guess what? IT WORKED!
Sure, Senator Kennedy’s diagnosis has had a tremendous impact on national conciousness, but I choose to believe the bill passed due to grassroots efforts like the one promoted here.
Special thanks to Representative Janice Schakowsky, the original bill’s sponsor. Below is the entire story, as posted on the North American Brain Tumor Coalition’s website:
United States House of Representatives Declares May National Brain Tumor Awareness Month
May 22, 2008
On May 21, 2008, the United States House of Representatives declared May “National Brain Tumor Awareness Month.” By a voice vote, the House approved H. Res. 1124, a resolution sponsored by Representative Janice Schakowsky (D-IL), and by this action established May as National Brain Tumor Awareness Month.
The North American Brain Tumor Coalition expresses its deep gratitude to Representative Schakowsky for her leadership in introducing the resolution and also its thanks to the 108 Representatives who joined as cosponsors.
The news about the brain tumor diagnosis of Senator Edward Kennedy has raised the entire nation’s awareness of brain tumors. This news has touched us all, not the least because Senator Kennedy has been a tireless champion of those who need access to quality health care and the latest medical treatments. The passage of the resolution is another important effort to direct attention to brain tumors and the pressing need for more research aimed at deepening our understanding of the causes of brain tumors and accelerating the development of new and better treatments.
