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Our Mission
“ASCEND’s mission is to make ending cancer a national priority. We connect those touched by cancer into one voice to make a difference.”
The Creed
ASCEND believes that Americans should be outraged at the number of cancer deaths in our country – almost 600,000 people die every year in the United States. This number is equal to the population of Washington, D.C., Seattle, Austin, and Nashville - Imagine U.S. cities disappearing every year after year after year.
ASCEND believes that we must “Make Cancer a National Priority” through awareness, education, prevention and scientific research funding. We must be accountable for this national disaster and make decisions that lead to the eradication of cancer.
ASCEND believes in UNITY among all cancer and disease foundations, advocacy groups and public health organizations in order to bring forth a strong message to key decision makers of the need for awareness and to continue funding cancer research at the highest level.
ASCEND believes in the “bench to bedside” approach of integrating basic cancer research with translational methods to ultimately benefit the cancer patient. It is through scientific research, collaboration and clinical trials that we will find a cure for cancer.
The Vision
The vision of the ASCEND Foundation is to ensure that the voice of those touched by cancer is heard. Following the passion of our namesake, Anne Scandalios, and founder, Nick Scandalios, we will speak out for all those outraged when they realize that more than half a million men, women and children in this country die each year of cancer. ASCEND will raise the issues that are difficult or overlooked which have a vital role in the collective effort to eradicate cancer.
For the years 2006 – 2007, we will pursue our vision by selecting key issues that need to be addressed and we will focus on the causes of cancer. Can we truly prevent a disease if we don’t understand its cause? Do we truly know what causes cancer? Do we know why one individual with a genetic predisposition will get cancer and another will not? Why is there so little effort to answer these questions?
We believe that early detection and effective and prompt treatment are critical to cancer patients. We believe that all survivors have a right to the best quality of life possible. Above all else, we believe that never having a cancer diagnosis is the best option.
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