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As the sun set Wednesday night, candlelight flickered across the illuminated faces of protesters who defied the freezing temperatures to support their threatened cause for cancer research.
Students, faculty and community members rallied together in front of Fogler Library to protest the budget for the fiscal year of 2007 proposed by President Bush at the beginning of this month.
Bush’s proposal will freeze the National Institutes of Health’s budget, effectively forcing cuts for 18 of the 19 institutes under the umbrella of the NIH.
An identical rally was held in Portland at the same time; across the country similar events are being held to send elected representatives a message asking them to oppose the cuts and support increased funding for cancer research and programs.
The proposed budget would cut the National Cancer Institute’s budget by $39.39 million, about $186 million below what the Congressional Budget Office estimates is needed to maintain the current research projects.
“There simply is no investment that promises greater returns for America than its investment in biomedical research,” said Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, in a statement prepared for the rally. “I therefore was deeply disappointed that the president proposed cuts in funding.”
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, in charge of research for biological terrorism and bird flu vaccinations, was the only institution that did not receive a cut. According to the World Health Organization, the bird flu is a serious threat: 161 people have been infected and 86 have died so far.
In contrast, last year 1.4 million Americans were diagnosed with cancer and 565,000 died. In 2006 it is estimated that 7,910 Maine residents will be diagnosed with cancer and a little less than half that number will die, according to the American Cancer Society.
“Today we face new challenges such as the avian flu and public health crisis stemming from repeated hurricanes pummeling the Gulf Coast,” said Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, in a statement prepared for the rally.
“At the same time, we can ill afford to minimize such major causes of morbidity and mortality as cancer.”
Because of breakthroughs of long-term scientific research, today nearly 10 million Americans are cancer survivors.
Earlier this month the ACS announced that the number of Americans who died from cancer fell from the previous year for the first time in seven decades.
“We’re making significant progress and we can’t retreat from that now,” said Andrew Harmon, spokesman for the American Cancer Society, which was responsible for setting up the rally with the help of members of Relay for Life to draw attention to the issue.
Relay for Life is a global effort to actively raise funds for cancer research.
An overnight event, the challenge is for teams of 10 or more people to complete a relay-style walk or run at selected venues.
Alisa Makson, who is involved with the Relay for Life and is a junior psychology major, was diagnosed with leukemia at age five.
“I got started with Relay because I’m a survivor and I don’t want anyone else to go through what I had to,” said Makson.
Relay for Life at the University of Maine will be held April 7 starting at 4 p.m. and will run through 10 a.m. Saturday, April 8. For the second year running the fundraiser, their goal is to get 30 teams involved in the relay and to raise at least $27,000. Last year’s relay raised $18,000, according to Jason McCormick, senior psychology major. For more information on how to organize a group, contact Jason McCormick or Alisa Makson on FirstClass.
Elise O’Neil, a breast cancer survivor, was the representative from Jackson Laboratory in Bar Harbor and joined other cancer survivors who spoke at the rally.
She shared her personal battle and read a statement from Jackson Laboratory testifying that the funding is now just as critical as ever.
Cancer survivor Danel Bahr spoke at the rally and said all survivors were living proof of the importance of cancer research.
During President’s Day week he was asking the president to keep his previous promises to support the cause for a cure.
One of the protesters, Jennifer Currid, a senior communication sciences and disorders major, is also one of the millions of people affected by the disease and asking for governmental support.
Currid lost her grandfather to leukemia and her grandmother is currently in remission after being diagnosed with kidney cancer two years ago.
“If we do not fund promising research, it will amount to a conscious decision to abandon efforts that could very well be on the cusp of a cure,” said Snowe.
Bangor Daily News