Cal U’s Mary Kreis Joined Lance Armstrong Foundation For 2007 LIVESTRONG™ DAY
CALIFORNIA, PA (June 8, 2007)
On May 16, 2007, Belle Vernon Area resident and cancer survivor and advocate Mary Kreis joined the Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF) in Washington, D.C., on Capitol Hill to demand support for the Cancer Screening, Treatment and Survivorship Act of 2007 (S. 1415 and H.R. 2353), new bipartisan legislation that offers a bold expansion of access to early detection and corresponding early treatment and survivorship services. Kries is an assistant professor in California University’s Department of Health Science and Sport Studies.
The Cancer Screening, Treatment, and Survivorship Act of 2007, was introduced by Senators Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Olympia Snowe (R-ME) in the U.S. Senate and Representatives Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) and Sue Myrick (R-NC) in the House of Representatives. The bill is aimed to reduce cancer mortality rates, improve quality of life for those diagnosed with cancer and increase access to early detection and care. Further, the bill calls for strategic investments in research and in the cancer control infrastructure that would multiply those survival gains over time.
Kreis was one of the 200 advocates who joined Lance Armstrong to participate in LIVESTRONG Day, the LAF’s annual grassroots advocacy initiative to unite people affected by cancer and raise awareness about cancer issues. This was her second year representing the Lance Armstrong Foundation on Capitol Hill.
“The experience I received during LIVESTRONG Day was unforgettable. It was an honor to ask our representatives and Senators to support legislation that expands access to screening, treatment, and survivor care on behalf of the people of Pennsylvania,” said Kreis. “Participating in LIVESTRONG Day was important to me because I was diagnosed with cancer when I was pregnant with my daughter and I want to do everything in my power to fight cancer because I don’t ever want my daughter to go through what I did! It is time to end the needless death and suffering from this disease. Cancer needs to be a national priority.”
In addition to the LAF’s efforts in Washington, D.C., approximately 230 LIVESTRONG Day events were held in communities across the country to engage communities with experiences that increase awareness and show support for cancer survivors and their loved ones.
Kreis held a LIVESTRONG Day event at the Rostraver Library where she leads a weekly story time designed especially for two-year-old children and their caregivers called the “Terrific Two’s”. The children dressed in yellow, colored greeting cards called HOPE Cards for cancer patients and their families, and each went home wearing a yellow LIVESTRONG band. This was the biggest event thus far for the “Terrific Two’s” program!
Kreis also rode with Armstrong in the 2005 Tour of Hope, a cross-country bicycle ride designed to advocate for clinical trials in cancer research. She shared her personal connection to cancer with hundreds of school children, as well as thousands of people in Atlanta’s Centennial Olympic Park.
She is scheduled to speak next at the Mon Valley Relay for Life, an American Cancer Society event on June 23, 2007 to be held at the Monessen City Park Walking Track. For more information, contact Margaret Smith with the ACS at 724-222-6911.
For more information, contact Kreis at 724-243-3065 (home), 724-809-6051 (cell) or e-mail at kreis@cup.edu.
For more information concerning the Lance Armstrong Foundation, contact Lauren Mireles, Lance Armstrong Foundation, at 512-279-8396 or e-mail Lauren.mireles@laf.org
PHOTO CUTLINE—Enjoying a moment together during LIVESTRONG Day in Washington DC, last month are Lance Armstrong, Viva Kreis, Dr. Mary Kreis and Doug Ulman, President and CEO of the Lance Armstrong Foundation .
ADDITIONAL MEDIA RESOURCES: Video, hard copy requests, downloadable MPEG2, contact information and more available at http://www.prnewswire.com/broadcast/28360/press.html
About the Lance Armstrong Foundation
The Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF) unites people to fight cancer. The LAF believes that unity is strength, knowledge is power and attitude is everything. The LAF provides the practical information and tools people battling cancer need to live life on their own terms. The LAF also takes aim at the gaps between what is known and what is done to prevent death and suffering due to cancer and engages with and advocates for the public at large to pursue an agenda focused on prevention, ensuring access to screening and care, investment in research, and improving the quality of life for people affected by cancer. Founded in 1997 by cancer survivor and champion cyclist Lance Armstrong, the LAF is located in Austin, Texas. To learn more about the Lance Armstrong Foundation, visit livestrong.org.