Baldies' Blog began originally in the UK by a 26 year old journalist with a blood cancer on a mission to inform the world about bone marrow donation.

He has since died, and I took on the cause of making cancer care more transparent for everybody.

Cancer is a disease that will touch everybody through diagnosis or affiliation: 1 in 2 men will be diagnosed and 1 in 3 woman will hear those words, "You Have Cancer."

I invite you to read how I feel along my journey and
how I am continuing to live a full life alongside my Hodgkin's lymphoma, with me controlling my cancer, not my cancer controlling me.

I hope that "Baldies' Blog" will prepare you to handle whatever life sends you, but especially if it's the message, "You Have Cancer."

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Wednesday, March 11, 2009

American Cancer Society Letter Template


Finance Committee
New Hampshire House of Representatives
Legislative Office Building
33 North State Street
Concord, NH 03301

Chairman Smith and Members of the House Finance Committee, my name is INSERT YOUR NAME from INSERT YOUR TOWN, and I would like to ask that you increase the cigarette tax by $1.00, dedicate a nickel to the NH Cancer Plan, and protect the Catastrophic Illness Program.

Cancer remains one of the greatest threats to the public welfare in New Hampshire, but we are fortunate enough to have the ability to defeat it. Studies show that every time a state significantly increases the cigarette tax, smoking rates in that state drop. Young people, in particular, smoke less because they generally have less income to spend at their leisure. Experts have found that raising the cigarette tax in our state by $1 would save 5,300 lives in NH while bringing in $49 million of new revenue in the first year. Additionally, tobacco prevention programs, resources to help smokers quit, and cancer screenings are critical to stopping cancer before it starts, or catching it at an early stage where it is survivable and cost-effective to treat. The Cancer Plan would provide 1,700 cancer screenings to those who couldn't otherwise afford them; help smokers who want to quit; help keep tobacco companies from addicting youth; and more.

INSERT SEVERAL SENTANCES ABOUT WHY YOU PERSONALLY CARE ABOUT SMOKING OR CANCER AND WANT THE CANCER PLAN FUNDED.

But we also need to help people pay for the care that can save their lives. Individuals undergoing cancer treatment are faced with drastic medical costs, even when they are covered by public or private insurance. When low income individuals find themselves in a situation where medical bills become overwhelming, the Catastrophic Illness Program has been there for over 20 years to assist these people in their moment of need. The Catastrophic Illness Program provides up to $2500 to NH residents struggling to pay for treating their own debilitating diseases like cancer. It's a last resort for those who've exhausted their other options, public or private. Taking away this life line would prove devastating for many New Hampshire citizens.

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