Noreen Hyslop photo Senator Rob Mayer signs a "Promise" to the American Cancer Society and to the citizens of Missouri stating he will do his part to support solutions to reform the state's health system, especially by committing to comprehensive bipartisan solutions. The Promise is also to elevate and enhance prevention early detection of cancer. With Mayer is Dexter's Ester Wheeler, American Cancer Society's Hero of Hope, who will be speaking to legislators in Jefferson City on Thursday to tell her story of surviving a cancer diagnosis.

Missouri's state senators and state representatives are signing on to a proposal that is designed to improve the quality of health, especially in the area of cancer prevention and early detection, for residents across the state.

It's called the State Cancer Promise and it is an effort from the American Cancer Society (ACS) that is designed to ensure Missouri's citizens that their elected officials will do everything within their political power to support the reform and the efforts that will bring about an opportunity to defeat cancer.

"Today, more people are living with cancer than dying from it," says Ester Wheeler, an oral cancer survivor from Dexter who has been designated as the region's ACS Hero of Hope.

Noreen Hyslop photo Rep. Billy Pat Wright (R-159) signs the American Cancer Society's State Cancer Promise (see page 1), as cancer survivor and ACS Hero of Hope Ester Wheeler witnesses. The Promise states the intentions of legislators to support efforts to make health system reform a state priority and to expand access to care by increasing preventive health services and working toward policies that increase colorectal, breast and cervical screening rates for the medically underserved.

Wheeler, whose cancer was a direct result of a history of smoking, speaks to school and community groups about her experience and the risks involved with tobacco use. Having dealt with not only a cancer diagnosis, but the insurance issues that go along with the diagnosis, Wheeler continually strives for healthcare reform to improve the system's approach to early detection as well as prevention.

"Many are already actively doing their part," she says, "to defeat this disease, but it cannot be done without the sustained leadership and strong commitment of state governments."

"We must adopt bold new policies and make the financial investments necessary," Wheeler stresses. "The opportunity to defeat this disease demands our focused attention and there are concrete steps we can take in each state to jump-start our progress."

Those steps, according to Wheeler and the ACS, involve commitments from Missouri's leaders in government. In signing the state's Promise, Sen. Rob Mayer, along with Rep. Billy Pat Wright, have pledged to do a number of things. They include promoting programs to increase colorectal, breast and cervical cancer screening options, as well as promoting various policies that are designed to help smokers quit and reduce their risk for lung cancer and other smoking related cancers.

Their commitment also ensures citizens that the two will work against any healthcare reform attempts that would roll back state guarantees of coverage voted to the people of Missouri in past legislative sessions or reduce access to insurance coverage for the people of Missouri.

"Over the course of a lifetime, cancer strikes one out of two men and one out of three women and each cancer death, on average, steals 15 years of life," explains Wheeler. "Cancer is becoming one of the most preventable and increasingly curable life-threatening diseases when detected early."

With that in mind, 27 state senators and representatives have joined together in signing The Promise, and the hope of Wheeler and the ACS is that many more will join in the effort in the days ahead.