Newswise — Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) is the newest member of Congress to join Fight Colorectal Cancer (Fight CRC’s) Congressional Committee. As an honorary member, Raskin will work with the nonprofit, nonpartisan organization to provide support and raise awareness on the Hill for policies addressing screening, health insurance coverage and research related to the prevention and treatment of colorectal cancer. Raskin is a stage III colorectal cancer survivor and currently in remission.
“After finishing radiation, two surgeries, and my final chemo session of nine sessions, I swore to myself six years ago that, if I were granted a new lease on life, I would never forget the people fighting to save themselves from colorectal cancer (or any type of cancer) every day,” said Raskin. “So what else can I do? I am proudly joining the Fight Colorectal Cancer Congressional Committee and will do everything in my power to help it conquer the disease, treat patients, and reduce the incidence of colorectal cancer in the public through education and prevention.”
Raskin was asked to join the committee not only because of his personal cancer experience, but his commitment to policies that put patients’ best interests first and his commitment to funding life-saving research.
“It’s meaningful to us to have Rep. Raskin join our Congressional Committee as a survivor and member of Congress,” said Anjee Davis, president of Fight CRC. “He is a part of our community of over one million CRC survivors. As the leading advocacy organization in the country, we want to make sure every survivor has a role and voice in the fight, including our members of Congress. We look forward to working with Rep. Raskin’s office on improving policies impacting research, access to care and prevention of this particular cancer.”
Raskin is the seventh member who will serve on Fight CRC’s Congressional Committee, formed in 2013 to be a “first stop” on Capitol Hill when there’s a legislative opportunity or when the colorectal cancer community faces a policy challenge. Other members include: Rep. Donald Payne, Jr. (D-NJ); Rep. Betty McCollum (D-MN); Rep. Charlie Dent (R-PA); Rep. Leonard Lance (R-NJ); Rep. Rodney Davis (R-IL) and Rep. Phil Roe (R-TN). The former Rep. Mike Fitzgerald (R-MN) retired earlier this year.
To learn more about Fight Colorectal Cancer’s Congressional Committee, read the blog post “A Recess Refresh.” To learn more about Fight CRC’s advocacy, visit FightCRC.org/Advocacy.
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About Fight CRC
Fight Colorectal Cancer (Fight CRC) is a trusted national nonprofit advocacy organization fighting for a cure. It was founded in 2005 by Nancy Roach, a patient advocate who witnessed the need for colorectal cancer advocacy after her mother-in-law’s diagnosis. The organization plays an important role in rallying colorectal cancer advocates to action. Fight CRC is known for activism and patient empowerment throughout patient, academic, political, scientific, medical and nonprofit communities. With a mission focused on advocacy, research, patient education and awareness, the organization serves advocates in every state of the U.S. and many others around the world. Fight CRC is platinum rated by the nonprofit monitoring group GuideStar and a 4-star charity by Charity Navigator with 93 cents of every dollar donated going directly to colorectal cancer programs. To learn more, visit FightCRC.org
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