• Giving Thanks for Brain Tumor Advocates
• Patient Stories Aid Successful Advocacy 
• Will Sequestration Continue?

Giving Thanks for Brain Tumor Advocates
As friends and families gather to celebrate Thanksgiving next week, the National Brain Tumor Society would like to express our deepest gratitude for your advocacy efforts and continued support. Whether you are a patient, survivor, caregiver, family member, or friend - your voice is critical to create public policy change for the brain tumor community. Your stories provide inspiration and education to others, and we are so grateful to have you as our partners in the fight against brain tumors. 

Patient Stories Aid Successful Advocacy
The list of legislative co-sponsors for the Cancer Drug Coverage Parity Act continues to grow, with Congressman John Conyers (D-MI), Congressman Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE), and Congressman Sean Maloney (D-NY) signing on in the past month. The legislation now has a total of 64 co-sponsors in the House of Representatives. Your personal experiences with Temodar really help policymakers better understand how their decisions affect their constituents. Thank you for contacting your members of Congress and helping us continue to garner their support.

Have you or a loved one been faced with high out of pocket costs for Temodar? If so, please contact Lainey Titus Samant at lsamant@braintumor.org to share your story and advocate for a change in public policy.

Will Sequestration Continue?
The budget conferees now have less than a month to reach an agreement on how to end sequestration and fund the 2014 budget. Without a funding bill, cuts to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will be sustained and take effect in 2014. As the December 13 deadline approaches, we will continue to monitor the budget committee’s progress, as well as educate key decision makers on the impact sequestration and budget cuts will have on research and patient care.

Interested in learning more about sequestration? Check out this recent interview with Dr. Francis Collins, Director, National Institutes of Health.

Thank you for your support and for taking action with the National Brain Tumor Society. Together, we are making a difference.

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