That great monster is, of course, none other than Cancer. I capitalize it because Cancer is very personal to anyone who's been touched by it. (That's practically every single one of us!) [1]

Recently we heard on the news that Death rates from cancer fell an average of 1.8 percent each year from 2002 to 2005.[2] That news is little comfort to the half million Americans who lost their battle with cancer this year.

Death-rate statistics produced by the American Cancer Society show practically a flat-line since 1930s[3]. Since then we've split the atom, put man on the moon, landed rovers on Mars, discovered new species of life on Earth, mapped the human genome, built nanomachines, miniaturized electronics, fit a billion transistors on a chip that might be in your computer or cell phone, and much more. But not so with Cancer. This is not to say progress has not been made, but progress has been slow, the cost to human life great, and the challenge enormous.

This year's budget of the National Cancer Institute is just under $5 billion. President Kennedy's challenge to the nation ultimately cost $135 billion (in 2005 dollars[4]) - 26 times as much - to send 12 men to the moon. President Bush's war budget request for 2008 was $196 billion, and estimates on the cost of war reach upwards of $600 billion. Seven hundred billion dollars has been allocated for the financial crisis, and just one company, Citigroup, has received an infusion of $45 billion, ten times the budget of NCI. To my knowledge not one person has died of malignant Citigroup-itis.

I challenge you, Mr. President, to challenge the nation, as great Presidents have done before, to put the best minds of our country on this dread disease. Declare a War on Cancer. We need not incremental improvement, not baby steps, in fighting this battle. We need a national awakening and a national resurgence. Let's aim to dramatically reduce Cancer incidence and death rates and ultimately find a cure. We have done great things, achieved great goals, met great challenges before. Challenge us, Mr. President, to achieve greatness again for the good of humankind.

Everyone has a story to tell. This letter is part of my story, who am a half person today, having lost my better half to Cancer. In her life cut short, and in the precious few months that I became privileged to know and love her, Sarah was an uplifting and inspiring soul who fought her battle with the "C-word" for six years. I met her only in the last six months of her life, before the torrent of statistics, probabilities and survival rates reigned down on us. 1.8% drop is not nearly enough. We can do better. I know we can.

I learned looong time ago,is always going to be a fight, but I choose my fight,sometimes is worth to stand up and sometimes I have to walk away,is no wrong or right way, is just different way each of us look at things.

That, one of the many wise aphorisms she lived her short life by. This is one fight that's worth standing up to, and I hope you will stand with me.

It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us.[5]

Respectfully,

Moe Maleki
Palo Alto, CA

Notes

[1] American Cancer Society, Global Cancer Facts & Figures 2007

[2] New Cases of Cancer Decline in the U.S. New York Times, Nov. 25, 2008

[3] American Cancer Society, Statistics for 2008

[4] Apollo Program - cost and cancellation, Wikipedia

[5] President Lincoln at Gettysburg, 1863