Starting in May, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) Fight Back Express bus will travel across the country, stopping in hundreds of communities in all 48 contiguous states to unite the voices of the millions of Americans who believe cancer needs to be an important campaign issue.

ACS CAN is the non-profit, non-partisan sister advocacy organization of the American Cancer Society that is working every day to make cancer issues a top national priority. With the Fight Back Express, ACS CAN will bring the stories of cancer patients, survivors, and friends to the presidential candidates to make cancer a priority issue in their administration.

The tour is designed to highlight the fight against cancer and the Fight Back Express serves as a mobile action center. In order to make progress, our elected officials must make the issues facing cancer patients a top national priority. By getting the Fight Back Express on the road, we will be able to raise the awareness of critical health care issues.

The bus tour kicks off on May 4 and ends on Election Day in November. Locally, the Fight Back Express will be in the Great Lakes Division from July 13 to July 19. The bus will arrive in Indiana on July 13 and make its way to Michigan on July 16.

At each stop, visitors will have the chance to share their story with their Members of Congress through the Picture A Cure program, where photos are taken of those affected by cancer and then sent with written personal stories to lawmakers in their area. Visitors will also have the opportunity to sign a petition to support access to quality health care for all Americans, as well as get an ACS voter guide, which outlines candidates’ positions on cancer-related issues.

The detailed bus tour schedule for the Great Lakes Division is still being developed. The Fight Back Express will be stopping at pre-existing public events in order to maximize its visibility and create the most awareness about cancer issues, our legislative agenda, and the fight against cancer.

Even if you are not able to see the bus in person, you can still be a part of the Fight Back Express. You can track the bus’s progress as it rolls across the U.S. with several online and interactive tools, including updates, blogs by those "on the bus", and more.

To find out how you can take part in this nationwide effort and support the Fight Back Express, visit www.acscan.org/bus. For additional information or updates, please contact Jen Hunt, ACS Director of Grassroots Advocacy, at Jennifer.Hunt@cancer.org.