My letter to the National Brain Tumor Society. I would be thankful if others (including sharing this and asking your friends to contact them as well) write to them (and Hope On Wheels) to pressure them to express their concern about Mike Kelly's smear of cancer patients. Let's start a movement to remove Kelly from his position since he is not qualified to stand up for cancer patients, especially children: http://www.braintumor.org/...
Hi. I wanted to bring your attention to what my US House Congressman Mike Kelly (PA-3) thinks about brain tumor patients specifically, such as myself (Oligodendroglioma), and cancer patients in general.
During Kelly's debate before this November's election a question was asked about the ACA. My story came up after Kelly said that the ACA doesn't help anyone. Two questions later (about Marijuana legalization) Kelly gave a quick response to my story. He said, "Danny talked about Brian who has problems. I have worked tirelessly with people who have addiction problems. Both drug addiction and alcoholism."
Everybody ought to find this offensive statement. Kelly basically compared having cancer to being addicted to drugs and alcoholism. Obviously, cancer isn't a "problem" and is in no way similar to addiction. His words minimize the fight and the struggles that one must battle with cancer. What makes it worse is that Kelly is on the board of directors at Hope On Wheels, which raises funds for pediatric cancer research. Does he feel that these young children are drug addicts as well?
Cancer shouldn't be a political issue. Even though I disagree with his position on the ACA the cancer community should not be smeared by their representatives so they can make political points. We have enough to worry about and fight for.
I urge this great advocacy organization and their members to contact Mike Kelly to share their disappoinment of his comments. If he smears one cancer patient he smears us all. Also, Hope On Wheels should be contacted to let them know what one of their board members feels about cancer patients because Kelly is also smearing the children who he is supposedly advocating for.
The debate can be found here: http://www.wqln.org/...
The ACA question came at minute 41:09.
His offensive comments came at 46:02.
Thank you for you support.
Mike Kelly's DC office: (202) 225-5406
Hope On Wheels: (310) 882-4002