Here are the action steps to share your voice:
 

WRITE YOUR OWN PERSONAL LETTER and email or fax to your federal members of Congress about the need to fund melanoma research.

To find the names and contact information for your state's US Congress representatives:

a) Email us here at admin@nationalmelanomaalliance.org
with your City, State, and Zip code + 4 number. We will email you the information you need to email your letter direct from your email address.

OR

b) Go to www.house.gov and www.senate.gov

You each have 2 US Senators and 1 Representative in the US Congress.

You can email a member from their US Congress home page. You will have to cut and paste the text into the website text box to send the message.


--------

- Below is an example letter of what you can write, add your personal reasons why melanoma research is important to you.


Dear (Representative/Senator: **: Fill in your members' name)


Melanoma is the most commonly fatal form of skin cancer in our country-one person dies every hour from this preventable cancer.

While the death rates for other common cancers such as breast, colon, and prostate cancer are declining, death rates for melanoma have increased nearly 30% over the past 25 years. While people of all ages can be diagnosed with melanoma or die of melanoma, white men ages 50 and above comprise 50% of all melanoma deaths.

2008 Estimated Deaths for melanoma are 8,420 and of that, 5,400 are men which reflects more than 64% of all melanoma deaths.

Prevalence of Skin Cancer
There are over one million new cases of skin cancer diagnosed in the United States each year, outnumbering the total number of other cancers combined. Skin cancer includes the most serious skin cancer - melanoma, and the most common ones - basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma.

Over ten thousand Americans die of skin cancer every year, 75% from melanoma but potential for physical devastation from basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas must be recognized as well.

The Cost of Skin Cancer: There are significant emotional, physical, and financial costs associated with all forms of skin cancer. Newly diagnosed skin cancer in the US costs more than 1 billion dollars per year. However the emotional and physical costs are incalculable.

Need for Increased Funding

Research funding for the prevention of skin cancer has been disproportionately low. Skin cancer stands alone as the cancer for which incidence and mortality are rising unabated while the best means for combating the disease, prevention and early detection, continues to be severely underutilized. In part, this is related to the fact that less than 2% of the of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's cancer control budget is devoted to prevention of skin cancer. This year, we request that the CDC's skin cancer prevention program receive $5 million dollars for public and professional education.

The National Melanoma Alliance is comprised of organizations, health professionals, and individuals concerned about melanoma.

We work closely with the academic and clinical communities in advancing awareness and the need for melanoma research. (www.nationalmelanomaalliance.org)

Our members and supporters represent the voice of the patient community and maintain an active presence in the patient advocacy arena for melanoma. The National Melanoma Alliance collaborates closely with our colleagues at the National Council on Skin Cancer Prevention.


Our experts propose the following:

* $5 million for melanoma research in the 2009 Defense Appropriations bill;

* $1.5 million for the Environmental Protection Agency's SunWise Program in the 2009 Interior Appropriations bill;

* An increase from $2.1 million to $5 million for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's skin cancer prevention activities in the 2008 Labor, Health and Human Services Appropriations bill; and

* Report language encouraging the National Cancer Institute to expand its melanoma research activities.

* Overall increase in the federal budget for 2009 for the National Institutes of Health and the National Cancer Institute.


Thank you for your consideration of my request.

Sincerely,

Your Name
Your Address including zip code

==============
End of Letter