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Cancer is deeply personal for millions of people across the United States. This October, as we honor Breast Cancer Awareness Month, stories of courage, loss, and survival will echo across Arizona and the rest of the country. Mine is one of them.

I’m a two-time breast cancer thriver and a retired Registered Nurse. I’ve chosen to share part of my story to advocate for stronger investment in cancer prevention, research, and early detection. My cancer journey was filled with challenges — especially when it came to accessing care. While my fight wasn’t easy, I truly believe investments in research helped save my life. Every cancer cure starts with federally funded research.

Last month, I traveled from Tucson to Washington, D.C. with the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN), joining 750 of my fellow volunteers – many of them cancer survivors and patients. Our team from Arizona had the honor of meeting members of our state’s congressional delegation and their staff. Together, we urged Congress to reject proposed cuts to federal research and prevention funding. These cuts would jeopardize the work being done at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI).

I was diagnosed with HER2-positive breast cancer, an aggressive form of the disease. It took two decades of research to discover the HER2 receptor and develop Herceptin — a groundbreaking drug that has transformed treatment for patients like me. Before Herceptin, HER2-positive breast cancer often led to metastasis of the disease. Today, more than 2 million people worldwide have received this treatment.

Cancer research delivers breakthroughs and hope.

Because of early detection, research, and advancements in treatment, the five-year survival rate for breast cancer was 91 percent as of 2020.

Continued funding for NIH and NCI has also helped reduce the nation’s cancer mortality rate by 34 percent since 1991. 14.2 million life-years have been added to patients with cancer thanks to NCI-supported clinical trials.

Patients rely on these innovations. I am now blessed with a good prognosis and currently am cancer-free as best as we know. But without sustained investments, promising research could stall, and future breakthroughs might never reach the patients who need them most. This is the message we brought to Washington, D.C. and the message I hope Congress will remember.

Our leaders have the power to end cancer as we know it, for everyone. I hope they take advantage of the opportunity because lives are depending on it.