In 1971, RN launched the War on Cancer, bringing a series of Federal initiatives to bear against the deadly disease and – in the process – revolutionizing the field of biomedical research.
Today there are 61 designated cancer centers and 300 different antidotes including cures for childhood cancers and solid tumors.
At the East Room singing ceremony for the National Cancer Act in December 1971, Dr. Alva H. Letton – the President of the American Cancer Society – called RN’s efforts “the greatest thing ever done by the United States” and expressed his deepest appreciation that the 37th President made the issue a national priority.
It’s fitting that forty years on, the American Cancer Society is hosting this year’s inaugural gala at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library on Sunday, May 22, to celebrate the birthdays of more than 11 million cancer survivors and the progress made in fighting “back against a disease that has taken too many lives.”
Click here for more information on the Celebration of Life Gala.
Click here to watch a video featuring RN’s granddaughter Jennie Eisenhower commemorating the fortieth anniversary of the National Cancer Act signing and calling on your help to join the American Cancer Society’s global movement “to create a world with more birthdays.”
RN’s granddaughter Jennie Eisenhower- in a video produced by the American Cancer Society in commemoration of the 40th anniversary of RN signing the National Cancer Act – asks for your help in combating and finding cures for the deadly disease.
Top photo: American Cancer Society President Alva Letton with President Nixon during the signing ceremony of the National Cancer Act in the East Room in December 1971. Dr. Letton called the legislation “the greatest thing ever done by the United States.”