Published: October 14, 2008 02:14 pm         

Cancer bus stops at OSU

The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, a grassroots organization for cancer research, stopped at Oklahoma State University Monday to rally supporters for cancer research and lobby legislators to make cancer a priority.

“It’s a grassroots mobility action to help encourage the government to make cancer a top priority,” said Emily Van Zant, chairman of Relay For Life at OSU.

Several speakers were featured at the campaign, each speaking on cancer awareness and cancer research. Speakers included Van Zant; Marlene Strathe, vice president of OSU; Kenneth White, a committee member for Relay For Life; and Dan Stake, a cancer survivor and Hero of Hope for the American Cancer Society.

“The American Cancer Society picks Heroes of Hope every year and (Stake) is our Hero for Oklahoma,” Van Zant said. “They go out and energize people to fight back.”

Before introducing Stake, White said, “The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network is a nationwide bus tour ending on Election Day. Today is Oklahoma’s day.”

Stake explained how cancer research saved his life.

“20 years ago, I was not feeling well. I found out I had two cancers in me,” he said. “I will tell you by the grace of God and smart doctors I got to start over as a cancer survivor.”

The doctors removed the cancer, but were able to do so only because of cancer research discovered before them, Stake said.

“I survived because of things learned beforehand,” he said. “The value of research can’t be underestimated.”

Cancer research is straining because of shrinking funding from the federal government, which he attributed to the economy.

“If they can find $700 billion for the Wall Street bailout, they can find another $5 billion to $10 billion to save Americans,” he said. “Half a million people in the U.S. will lose the battle with cancer this year. This is something that affects every one of us.”

Strathe then detailed steps the OSU campus was taking to become a healthier campus, including offering healthier food options in cafeterias and better wellness programs, steps that ultimately paved the way to becoming one of the healthiest campuses in the country.

“July 1, 2008, declared OSU to be a tobacco-free campus, one of the first in the country and the first in Oklahoma,” she said. “We’re very pleased the bus stopped at OSU and very pleased it was the last stop in Oklahoma.

In addition to the speakers, participants had the opportunity to sign the tour bus, which was shrink-wrapped in plastic, allowing the plastic to be replaced with a fresh wrap for more signatures.

“(The bus) has been shrink wrapped six times,” said Sara Hawkins, regional communications director for the American Cancer Society, who was also at OSU.

Participants were also able to sign petitions urging legislators to make cancer research a priority.

The campaign started May 4 in Cleveland, Ohio, and will make its way across the lower 48 states before ending the campaign in Washington, D.C., on Election Day on Nov. 4.

“We’ve actually traveled through 47 states so far, and stopped at hundreds of stops,” said Frank Shoemaker, bus driver for the campaign. “We made a couple of stops in Kansas, and we’re going to head that way again. Our last stop is in Missouri.”

The tour stopped at the campus of the University of Tulsa at 11:30 a.m. before making a stop at OSU at 4:30 p.m., the last stop in Oklahoma. The tour will next stop at the campus of Wichita State University in Kansas at 8 a.m. Tuesday, and the last stop will be in St. Louis, Mo., Oct. 20.

The tour will be in Washington, D.C., on Election Day, where the shrink wrappings from the bus will be on display and a rally will be held at the capitol, rallying legislators to make cancer research a top priority.

“I’m proud of this generation,” Stake said. “Hopefully your children will not have to die from cancer.”

     

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