I recently traveled to Washington, D.C., to speak on behalf of cancer patients and survivors in our city of Bellingham.

I joined more than 600 American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network volunteers to encourage lawmakers to protect funding for cancer research and prevention programs.

It is a privilege to live in a state that has many ongoing breakthroughs in cancer research.

The University of Washington School of Medicine and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center have made it possible for millions of families to reach milestones that they may not have thought possible following their diagnosis. Funding research will make existing tests and treatment more effective, as well as continue to try to find answers for all types of cancers.

One of two men and one of three women in America will receive a cancer diagnosis in their lifetime and there are currently 12 million survivors throughout the United States because of cancer research. Congress must put aside its partisan issues and commit to making cancer a national priority. Continued funding will not only save jobs but will save lives.

Cancer research is also on many of our minds as we recognize breast cancer awareness month during the month of October. An estimated 230,000 new breast cancer cases will be diagnosed in the U.S. this year, including over 5,600 here in Washington, and nearly 40,000 people nationwide will die from the disease. Early detection through mammography can often detect breast cancer at an early stage, when treatment is most effective and a cure is more likely.

However, not all women have access to this lifesaving screening. The Centers of Disease Control and Prevention's National Breast and Cervical Cancer Screening Program provides a safety net to many women who would otherwise go without these important screenings.

This fall, the program will recognize its 10 millionth screening. Yet, despite the program's success, it is only able to serve fewer than one in five eligible women nationally at current funding levels.

For more than 20 years this program has saved lives and provided a safety net to access lifesaving mammograms and Pap tests for women who otherwise could not get them. Inadequate funding prevents the program from helping millions of low-income and uninsured women who need it.

Bipartisan support from lawmakers in Washington, D.C., for cancer research and cancer prevention and early detection programs has helped to reduce rates of death from the disease and increase cancer survivorship. Real breakthroughs are happening, such that today nearly 1 in 20 Americans is a cancer survivor.

Further progress is dependent upon federal leadership and financial support. Congress needs to make cancer research and prevention funding, including fully funding the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program, the highest priority.

It is a critical and difficult time right now when so many other programs are on the brink of being cut or reduced in their federal funding.

However, as someone who has lost people very close to me to this horrible disease, I am very passionate about finding a cure. I know there are countless other people out there who are ready to join me in the fight against cancer.

This October, as you see breast cancer issues highlighted everywhere, I encourage you all to not just think about the pink, but other cancers that affect lives as well. Battling cancer can be terrifying, and there have been moments in my lifetime where I couldn't see any hope for my loved ones. But I've learned that the biggest step toward a cure is a change of attitude and a motivation to be proactive in speaking with our state's and country's decision makers.

I encourage all those affected by this disease to visit ACSCAN.org to join the fight and use your voice to help make issues such as research, access to cancer screenings, and cancer prevention a national priority.

We may have lost loved ones to their battle with cancer, but I and thousands of others out there will continue to fight the cancer war.

For more information about cancer, cancer treatment, or cancer prevention visit Cancer.org.

Tiffany Go of Bellingham is the Washington state ambassador with the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network.