The information provided below is meant to support you as a METAvivor advocate. You will find some basic facts on METAvivor’s advocacy program. Our Advocacy Toolkit and our current Legislative Agenda. Please check back often as we hope to regularly add additional advocacy resources.
Thank you for your support of METAvivor and our mission of improving benefits, increasing research funding for metastatic breast cancer. If you are reading this, you or someone you know, is living with metastatic breast cancer. Did you know that only 2% of all the money dedicated to breast cancer research goes to fund metastatic breast cancer? Or that 30% of people diagnosed with breast cancer will unfortunately experience a metastasis? This has to change and through our advocacy we can alter these dynamics and increase the resources available for metastatic breast cancer research and support.
Our goal is to fund research to end death from metastatic breast cancer or at least make it a survivable chronic condition with a good quality of life until a cure is found.
This is where advocacy comes into play. We will do this through a combination of direct engagement with our elected officials and grassroots advocacy to make sure that our voices are heard and that we can advance our priority issues.
METAvivor’s Advocacy has already made a difference. Thanks to the active participation of METAvivor advocates and allies we have already seen:
But that’s just a start! Working together we can increase funding and support even more.
Building increased advocacy capacity:
In the past, METAvivor’s advocacy work was focused around the Stage IV Stampede held every autumn in Washington DC (and in 2020 2022 held virtually). The Stampede will always remain a centerpiece of our advocacy efforts, but we are now building a year-round advocacy program to communicate with elected officials and policymakers at critical moments in the legislative process.
You can participate in METAvivor’s advocacy program in at least three important ways: as an Advocate (volunteers who help by contacting elected officials at different times), State Captain (a volunteer leader who helps recruit and communicate with Advocates), or a Mentor (a volunteer leader who helps train and support Advocates and State Captains).
Advocacy Toolkit:
Metavivor provides a rich authoritative Advocacy Toolkit to assist you in your advocacy efforts. This “basic” Advocacy Toolbox is designed to support METAvivor Advocates as they get begin contacting policymakers. It contains background information on METAvivor, a basic advocacy fact sheet, an introduction to METAvivor’s current issue agenda and a selection of tip-sheets for contacting policymakers. METAvivor will also be developing additional tools and trainings to support our advocates over the coming months.
Thank you so much for your participation in METAvivor’s Advocacy Program.
Best Regards,
The METAvivor Advocacy Committee
Legislative Agenda
118th Congress, 1st Session
METAvivor is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to sustaining hope for those living with stage IV metastatic cancer. This terminal disease occurs when breast cancer spreads beyond the breast to other organs in the body (most often the bones, lungs, liver or brain). METAvivor’s legislative agenda will change annually based on current opportunities and past successes. The agenda is developed and approved by METAvivor’s Board of Directors. Below is a summary of key issues for the current 118th Congressional Legislative Session.
