National Brain Tumor Society Public Policy and Advocacy Update
Vol. 4, No. 8
August 2014

• Reminder: Take Action in August!
• Video: Why You're the Perfect Advocate for the Brain Tumor Community
• September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month

Click here to view our 2014 Legislative Agenda

Reminder: Take Action in August!
Last month, we shared our August Recess Toolkit with all of you and encouraged you to connect with your Members of Congress while they are back home during the month of August. From California to Maryland and Massachusetts, our brain tumor advocates have answered our call to action and have visited the local offices of their Elected Officials. Thank you to all of the advocates who have taken action to support the brain tumor community in their state.

If you haven’t reached out to your Members of Congress yet, there is still time-- the Congressional August Recess continues through September 7th. Visit our website today and download a flyer to drop off at your Representative or Senator’s local district office.

Need a refresher on our legislative agenda, which includes increasing medical research funding, providing access to life saving chemotherapy medication, and increasing resources for pediatric cancer research and drug development? Visit our website for all of the information you need.

Video Message: Why You're the Perfect Advocate for the Brain Tumor Community

Lainey Titus Samant, Associate Director of Public Policy, works regularly with our brain tumor advocates and is often asked why advocacy is so important. Watch this video to hear directly from Lainey about what motivates her and why all of you are the perfect advocates to bring about positive change for the brain tumor community. Be sure to also share this video with others in the community to make sure they have joined the fight.

Questions about anything mentioned in the video, or interested in learning more? Please contact Lainey at advocacy@braintumor.org or 617 231 6310.

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month
More than 4,000 children are diagnosed with a brain tumor each year, and malignant brain tumors are the second most common form of childhood cancer. National Brain Tumor Society is working to overcome the key barriers to better treatments for children with brain cancer through our integrated initiative, Project Impact, and commits at least a third of our research dollars to pediatric brain tumor research.

In addition to our year-round programming to find better treatments and a cure for pediatric brain tumors, we will once again be engaging in a number of activities during Childhood Cancer Awareness Month this September: 

• National Brain Tumor Society staff will attend a variety of meetings to discuss pediatric cancer public policy, including:
  • A meeting at the White House with administration officials to discuss childhood cancer
  • A public policy roundtable discussion with the Alliance for Childhood Cancer
  • A meeting with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Pediatric Drug Development
• National Brain Tumor Society will join other organizations at an event in honor of Congressional Childhood Cancer Caucus Co-Chairs, Congressman Michael McCaul and Congressman Chris Van Hollen
• We will host a community chat on pediatric brain tumors on September 18 at 3 PM EST. Please join us!
• Throughout the month of September, the National Brain Tumor Society will be sharing information and raising awareness around pediatric brain tumors on social media. Please join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.

To learn more about our ongoing pediatric brain tumor initiative, Project Impact, please visit our website. 

As always, thank you for your advocacy. Together, we are making a difference in the fight against brain tumors.

David F. Arons
Senior Director of Public Policy
darons@braintumor.org