Letters to the Editor

Take Kennedy approach to cancer

October has come and gone and, for the 26th year, National Breast Cancer Awareness Month has been observed with stories in the media, pink ribbons on lapels, and fund-raising walks. It is a month of celebration, of comfortable messages about raising awareness and early detection. Based on all of that activity, you might think that we have made significant progress toward ending breast cancer. In reality, we have not. This year, 500,000 women around the world will die of breast cancer. Almost 40,000 in this country alone.

Even though our nation has invested billions of dollars in breast-cancer research, breast-cancer mortality in this country has not been declining at a pace commensurate with those investments. There has been some progress. Our investments have resulted in the knowledge, technology, and tools required to make a difference. It's time to leverage those investments to end this disease. To put aside comfortable messages and bring back a sense of urgency to breast cancer.

I suppose we could celebrate 26 years of awareness months. I prefer that we emulate the actions of President Kennedy 50 years ago, when he challenged this country to put a man on the moon in 10 years. And the nation responded with focus, collaboration, and commitment. Something to truly celebrate. It is time for an Apollo project for breast cancer. The National Breast Cancer Coalition has set Jan. 1, 2020, as the deadline for ending breast cancer, and we have a plan to get there. We are collaborating with researchers, advocates, regulators, industry, and policymakers to help reach our goal.

We all need to understand the enemy, face the truth about the lack of sufficient progress, and then become part of the movement to end breast cancer. It is time to move beyond awareness to action, to come together with a higher purpose.

Fran Visco, president, National Breast Cancer Coalition and Fund, Washington, fran@BreastCancerDeadline2020.org

Obama criticism warranted

I was pleasantly surprised by your editorial concerning the failure of the supercommittee ("Nothing 'super' about failure," Tuesday). It is one the rare times The Inquirer's editors have provided the readers with balanced opinion that included criticism of President Obama. Providing facts about what the president isn't doing and his failures is what you need to do more often. Thanks.

Rick Wozniak, Collegeville

Wrong to point finger at Obama