Elizabeth Edwards, Lance Armstrong on the hill to discuss cancer and work to be done

There was a full committee hearing this morning on “Cancer: Challenges and Opportunities in the 21st Century” with witnesses that included Elizabeth Edwards, wife of presidential candidate and former Senator John Edwards, in addition to Lance Armstrong, seven-time Tour de France winner and chairman and founder of the Lance Armstrong Foundation.

The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, headed by Senator Kennedy, is dedicated to renewing the “war on cancer.” With the Senators praising the witnesses for their work and the witnesses doing likewise towards the Senators, the hearing was very inspirational with first-hand accounts from cancer survivors.

Mrs. Edwards, who is being awarded with the “Mother of the Year Award”, was insistent on the fact that health insurance matters. She recounted a story of a young women who had cancer but did not have health insurance while highlighting the difficulties she faced while raising children.

Mr. Armstrong then told his story and was adamant on the fact that early detection was imperative. He was insistent that no matter what age, race or sex, everyone has the right to the proper health care – health care that can prevent, help with early detection, and treat disease.

With testimonies like this, and the confidence and hard work being put forth by these witnesses and others, hopefully the proper funding and work can be done to eradicate this disease.