Lance talking to Norah O’Donnell about today’s Senate HELP Committee hearing this afternoon around 2:45 CST.

Hey folks,

Lance was asked to talk about the state of America’s war on cancer and make recommendations on ways to renew our commitment to beating this disease before the Senate today. If you’d like to read his testimony, please follow this link.

Lance spent six years on the President’s Cancer Panel and has heard first-hand from thousands of survivors, experts, researchers and policy makers. Today, he shared his experiences and personal insights with the Senate HELP committee who are examining challenges and opportunities to winning the war against the number one killer of Americans under 85.

Video footage of the hearing.

On Thursday Lance and Doug will travel to Washington, D.C., where he will testify before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee for a hearing called Cancer: Challenges and Opportunities in the 21st Century. Lance will be one of just a few witnesses, including Elizabeth Edwards and Ed Benz of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. His participation is a tremendous honor and solidifies Lance and the Foundation’s position as a national advocate and expert on the war against cancer. Lance’s testimony will focus on the scope of the cancer epidemic and how America can more effectively combat the disease.

Lance’s testimony is believed to begin around 9 a.m. ET, and you can watch his testimony live on the Senate’s Web site.

Also on CSPAN 3

The LAF is often asked, “What are you doing to help cancer survivors who live in other countries?” To date, the vast majority of the LAF’s programs have been focused on cancer survivors in the United States. To help us better understand how cancer is viewed in other countries and the needs of those diagnosed with cancer, the LAF is embarking on a five country tour to interview cancer survivors from all walks of life. We feel that listening to these stories of cancer survivorship will help inform the LAF and any work we plan to conduct internationally. You are invited to follow the team from LAF as they travel the globe and conduct interviews with cancer survivors though their blog.

A lot can happen in four years. Think about it. The Olympics captivate us every four years. A United States President serves an entire term in office. The most watched sporting event in the world, the World Cup, comes and goes. An adolescent completes their high school education.

A lot can happen in four years.

I have been stuck thinking about this for the last two weeks. My mind has been focused on this time period because four years ago Nike pitched us an idea that has certainly come a long way. The idea was simple. They said, “how about we take one of our baller bands, make it yellow, and put LIVESTRONG on it. We will make 5 million of them and give them to you to sell for $1 each.”

Imagine minutes of silence. Keep imagining silence.

More silence.

We were silent because we didn’t know what we would do with 5 million yellow rubber wristbands. We thought we might sell 50,000 of them in a year or maybe 100,000 if we were lucky.

LIVESTRONG was just the name of a program at the foundation. We only really sold merchandise at our events. We couldn’t possible sell 5 million yellow wristbands.

We were wrong. Oh so wrong.

They started selling. And then we sold more, and more, and more. People connected with them. They wore them as Lance won his 6th tour. They wore them as their favorite Olympians competed that summer. Athletes from countries around the world wore them while winning medals and breaking records. Presidential candidates wore them that fall. Children wore them to honor a grandparent with cancer. Physicians put them on to provide hope to their patients.

And millions and millions more put them on to honor a friend who was valiantly battling this dreaded disease.

We sold a few million more. And then a few more.

Now, almost exactly four years later we have sold more than 60 million yellow wristbands. We have built a community. We have been inspired by millions who have shared their story.

In four years, an idea meant to honor an athlete and his cause turned into the most significant philanthropic phenomenon of our time.

Today, every cause has a wristband. They use them to raise much needed awareness and funds. They stand out as a symbol of their mission.

In essence, they show each of us that we can be active citizens, we can be proud of our life’s work, and each of us in our own very personal way can support the betterment of society. It is the essence of the word “community.” We are all part of something bigger. And we can band together to impact our world.

Now, four years later, we have embarked on a landmark relationship with our partners in the Northwest. The LIVESTRONG Collection from Nike sets a new standard. It raises the bar to a level never before seen.

Nike is providing 100% of their profits from the new collection to the Lance Armstrong Foundation. Let me repeat that.

Nike is providing 100% of their profits from the new collection to the Lance Armstrong Foundation. 100%.

I love to study philanthropy and how various public private partnerships are structured.

I have never seen such a relationship. This is new territory. 100%.

For their support, their dedication, and their desire to change the world we are eternally grateful to our friends at Nike.

LIVESTRONG.

Hey folks! ‘Proud day for the LAF as our founder and chairman was named one of TIME’s 100, their list of the world’s most influential people. Lance is quick to deflect credit to the hard-working folks here at the LAF, though, and points out that the “real work” is usually performed behind the scenes, long after hours, by people who completely share his devotion to the cause. (Having joined the team less than a year ago, I’m afraid I can’t take any credit but am sincerely grateful to be a part of it!)

If you have a sec, please take a little time to read the essay below by Elizabeth Edwards, who writes beautifully about her friend and chronicles the Foundation’s history with simple grace. Elizabeth has been a great supporter and inspiration to the LAF and survivors everywhere. She embodies the LIVESTRONG philosophy and we’re grateful for her kind words. Enjoy!

Lance Armstrong
By Elizabeth Edwards
Friday, Apr. 25, 2008

There is no one else quite like him. And there probably never will be. The best cyclist ever, Lance Armstrong won the sport’s premier event, the Tour de France, an almost incomprehensible seven times from 1999 to 2005. But before he could do that, in 1996 he had to beat back a cancer that was supposed to take his life. Testicular cancer had spread to his abdomen, lungs and brain. Grim-faced doctors told him he had no chance. But no chance were not words that had meaning for Lance.

He spearheaded the Lance Armstrong Foundation, which made a yellow plastic loop a statement of resistance and strength across the entire planet. Like Lance himself, his foundation looks for the next horizon. It advocates for those living with cancer, funds research, inspires the cancer community to support each other and is collectively stronger than any one of us could be alone. Maybe team cycling taught him this, or maybe Lance, 36, is what you see.

Lance took a minor sport in America and turned it into a great national passion and a great national pride. And he did it by struggling for years, alone on a bike often in unforgiving weather, over terrain that most of us would view as hostile, when no one was watching, no one was cheering.

He inspired all of us who face a cancer diagnosis to search out the doctors who believe that we can live, to hold on to those friends and family who stand beside our bed—and then to fight to prove the faith of those friends and the beliefs of those doctors well founded. After Lance, no one of us could ever again say it was too hard, the odds stacked against us were too high, the fight already lost. The fight I fight is for me and my family, but the power to fight belongs in good measure to Lance.

Edwards is mother to four, wife of John Edwards and an author living with cancer

TIME Article

Congress came one step closer to protecting cancer survivors from the misuse of genetic information when the Senate passed the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act today. The LAF supports this legislation as people living with cancer are at increased risk of experiencing discrimination from employers and insurers. This legislation would address these concerns by providing protections against the use of genetic information in health insurance coverage and employment decisions. Check out this Associated Press article on the bill.

Senate passes genetic nondiscrimination bill

By JIM ABRAMS –

WASHINGTON (AP) — People learning through genetic testing that they might be susceptible to devastating diseases wouldn’t also have to worry about losing their jobs or their health insurance under anti-discrimination legislation the Senate passed Thursday.
The 95-0 Senate vote sends the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act back to the House, which could approve it early next week. President Bush supports the legislation.

The bill, described by Sen. Edward Kennedy as “the first major new civil rights bill of the new century,” would bar health insurance companies from using genetic information to set premiums or determine enrollment eligibility. Similarly, employers could not use genetic information in hiring, firing or promotion decisions.

“For the first time we act to prevent discrimination before it has taken firm hold and that’s why this legislation is unique and groundbreaking,” said Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, who sponsored the Senate bill with Sens. Kennedy, D-Mass., and Mike Enzi, R-Wyo.

There are more than 1,100 genetic tests available today, she said, but these are “absolutely useless” if fear of discrimination discourages people from taking tests or participating in clinical trials.

Genetic testing could lead to early, lifesaving therapy for a wide range of diseases with hereditary links…

Full AP article

Hi all!

Last Friday Lance and a few of us LAFers were thrilled to visit the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston and the LAF Adult Survivorship Clinic there. It was a moving experience, talking to survivors, families and staff, and one that none of us will forget. The staff at Dana Farber and the LAF Clinic are hard-working, professional and 100% devoted to supporting survivors. And a number of them are survivors themselves. It was an honor to be there and you’ll see our time there last Friday beautifully chronicled in the article below.

Lance Armstrong lifts spirits during Dana-Farber visit

Several videos of Kristin Armstrong interviewing Lance Armstrong.

Lance throwing out the first pitch at the Boston Red Sox game Saturday night.

A few photos from race weekend.

Even more photos on our Flickr account.

Lance completed the 112th Boston Marathon today with an impressive time of 2:50:58 which gave him an overall finish of 496th place. There were a few other fellow LAF staffers that ran with Lance, but couldn’t keep up with his pace. President of the Foundation, Doug Ulman, finished at 3:47:57, Colin Wallis finished also finished at 3:47:57 as well, and Nicki Borgstadt finished with a time of 4:49:52. Congrats to all of the LAF staffers as well as all of the other people who ran this great marathon.

Below is some footage of the press conference after the race with Lance. Enjoy.

Renewing the war on cancer
By Lance Armstrong
April 20, 2008

THE 112TH Boston Marathon is a grand tradition I am proud to take part in for the first time this year. I’m running with 50 LIVESTRONG team members to raise funds for the fight against cancer, another grand tradition that has strong roots in Boston.

While Americans have grown used to seeing the definition of progress in Iraq debated daily on a glaring national stage, few of our leaders seek to shine a spotlight on the war against the number-one killer of Americans under the age of 85. It is an old, forgotten fight and we’re rarely told about the toll it takes on our nation.

But cancer now affects the life of every single person in this country. Who among us hasn’t either personally battled this disease or supported a loved one through their fight?

Cancer will take nearly 600,000 American lives in 2008, and 1.4 million will get the dreaded diagnosis from their doctor. Deaths are shamefully high among minorities and the poor. They die because of lack of access to the most fundamental human necessity - healthcare. One of the leading cancer specialists in America, Dr. Harold Freeman, says there’s a disconnect between what we know and what we do. We know how to defeat the enemy. We just don’t do it.

So what is the situation report from the front lines? Twelve million of us - including Mayor Thomas Menino of Boston - have been touched by the enemy and bear the scars to prove it. In the early days of the current struggle in Iraq, many of us were shocked by reports that soldiers lacked the basic body armor and vehicles necessary for the theater in which they fought. Back home, we have the equipment and treatment to save lives but, outrageously, they usually don’t make it to the people who need them.

Now, what is our government’s victory plan?

After six years on the President’s Cancer Panel, I can say with reasonable certainty that there isn’t one. Few of our leaders, with the exception of Senator Edward M. Kennedy, are still devoted to this fight. And to be fair, cancer is one of many causes competing for resources and attention in Washington.

Still, you’d expect the number one killer of Americans under 85 to merit more outrage, more opposition, more resources. But funding for the National Cancer Institute and the National Institutes of Health is static or declining in recent years. There is no central command, no general who looks over the broad spectrum of this disease and is able to deploy resources where they will save lives and advance this fight. A pessimist would say that cancer is winning. Luckily, I’m not one.

The good news is, now more than ever, we have an opportunity to change things. We are about to elect a new president, and now - before the election, while the candidates are still making promises to win our vote - is the time when we can hold them accountable for the war on cancer. Senators Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and John McCain have all been affected by this disease, either personally or through the death of a loved one. Let’s ask them how they intend to defeat the enemy, what steps they’ll take against tobacco, the number-one cause of cancer, and how they’ll ensure all of us - not just star athletes and politicians - have a healthcare system that rolls out the red carpet when we need it.

While I am merely a humble guest in your city, I have seen how the fight goes here in Boston. On Friday, I was honored to be invited to the Dana Farber Cancer Institute and the Lance Armstrong Foundation Adult Survivorship Clinic there. Dana Farber has been serving this community’s cancer survivors for more than 60 years and, like the Boston Marathon, is a proud institution that helps make this city a beacon for the rest of the nation. They know what works and they do it for more than 200,000 cancer survivors every year. If Boston can do it, why not the rest of this nation?

Lance Armstrong is founder and chairman of the Lance Armstrong Foundation, a seven-time Tour de France champion, and a cancer survivor.

Boston Globe