We need cures, not cuts in cancer research

I have a thirst for wanting to accelerate medical research; a personal plea for more advances and greater funding that is instead threatened with huge cuts. When the drip of my chemo began 14 years ago I didn't think about the hard work, dedication and science that was behind my treatment or how many drips it would take to bring about a cure. I knew only that this scary concoction might prolong my life. As new treatments were developed, I benefited but still didn't realize what was needed to get even one new treatment to my infusion room. I assumed that there would always be a treatment. I thought that there would be an easy fix. I know better now. For without research, I wouldn't be here today enjoying and harnessing the power of everyday life; creating extraordinary milestones out of ordinary moments.I woke up this morning to what would have once been a normal day; a day pre-cancer that most likely would have been taken for granted. It is the everyday experiences provided to me through research that now bring me great joy. I listened to Chloe's steady breath, snuggled next to me after having made an appearance in the middle of the night. I let her sleep late while I, too, took in a few more minutes of rest. Today will be filled with everyday stuff and precious moments that interlace colorful life threads ... a lazy morning with my pre-schooler, lunch with Katie, texts with Karlie and dinner on the table when Ronnie gets home. ...finger painting, "Fancy Nancy," a quiet walk to the lake, a picnic and the grand feeding of the two resident ducks. Spring is here and new life is budding on the trees. The season is awakening and I feel that I am, too. Fourteen years feels like a breath, and like forever all at once. These years have been abundant with colorectal cancer research. Research that saved my life.Tomorrow is chemo day. From the I.V. bag, slowly into the tubing and steadily into my veins I will watch the drip, drip, drip of research that will bring me even more time. I will be grateful that there are still treatments to receive. These treatments, procedures and clinical trials made possible because of cancer research have given me hope. Twenty-eight million other Americans are counting on further cancer research to give them hope, too, but budget cuts at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) threaten those hopes and our lives. These cuts won't just affect those of us with cancer but will impede the research for every disease from Alzheimer's to Zellweger Syndrome (A to Z). Your voice makes a difference. Join Rally for Medical Research and "unite with millions of Americans across the country to call on our nation's policymakers to make life-saving medical research funding a national priority. This unified call to action will raise awareness about the critical need for a sustained investment in the NIH to improve health, spur more progress, inspire more hope and save more lives. Visit Rally for Medical Research to get involved! We need cures, not cuts!