 "Photo: Kim Espinosa")
After brain cancer surgery left her temporarily paralyzed, Kim Chrane took up playing the piano to hasten her recovery. Chrane, diagnosed with meningioma 16 years ago at age 26, learned to play "Bridge Over Troubled Water" in honor of the care given by her husband Tom over the course of her six surgeries.
For many cancer survivors like Chrane, and their friends and families who turned out for the 11th annual LIVESTRONG Challenge this weekend, the support provided by the Lance Armstrong Foundation is their own bridge over troubled water.
The foundation hosts informational and sporting events throughout the country to help those affected by cancer. This year's challenge saw 4,600 participants and volunteers who helped raise more than $3.7 million to date for the fight against cancer.
The highlights of the Austin challenge included a 5K run and walk with 2,000 participants starting at the Capitol grounds on Saturday, and Armstrong leading 2,500 cyclists on a ride through Dripping Springs Sunday.
Armstrong, who survived testicular cancer that spread to his lungs and brain, is perhaps as well-known for his efforts to raise cancer awareness as he is for his seven Tour de France victories. This weekend's events allowed Armstrong and supporters to rally for the upcoming vote on Proposition 15. If passed, it would establish the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas with an initial budget of $3 billion over 10 years.
Despite bipartisan backing for the ballot initiative, supporters worry low voter turnout during the off-year election cycle might hinder the proposition's chances of success. Armstrong and supporters used the challenge as a launchpad for a statewide bus tour to rally voter turnout in preparation for the Nov. 6 election.
"Voter turnout across the state will vary depending on what other things are happening," said Doug Ulman, chief mission officer of the foundation and three-time cancer survivor. "But we're feeling optimistic. I mean people in Texas are so proud, and I think they're proud to take this step forward, and they're proud to be a part of this, and so we're hoping that they come out and support it."
Armstrong said that with some of the leading research facilities and scientists in the world, Texas should take the lead in cancer research since federal sources of funding are being cut.
"As we know, for the last two of three years, the funding at the National Cancer Institute has actually shrunk, that's not taking into consideration inflation," Armstrong said. "This is a great chance for Texas to lead, a great chance to for us to come up with cures and a great chance to prevent people from ever getting this awful disease."
The Bush administration's 2007 budget proposal cut funding for the National Cancer Institute for the second consecutive year, allocating $4.75 billion for the institute, which is $40 million less than its current budget and $71 million less than the institute received in 2005.
These shortfalls in the resources dedicated to cancer prevention and treatment prompted Federico Bernal, a staff scientist at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, Mass., to travel to Washington, D.C. in May to lobby Congress along with 200 other activists from the Lance Armstrong Foundation. Bernal, who was diagnosed with testicular cancer last year, traveled to Austin to participate with his family in the challenge's 5K walk and run.
"Not only for myself as a scientist, but I have a lot of my peers who have these brilliant ideas on treatment and screening and all that, and they can't get their research programs off the ground because the money isn't there," he said. It's so hard to get a grant nowadays and people are either leaving the field or leaving the country because the resources for research are not around."
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