By Jean Schlegel

Valley City Times-Record

The "Fight Back Express" is rolling into Valley City on Aug. 10 to encourage elected officials in Washington, D.C., to use their votes to help find a cure for cancer.
According to the latest statistics, cancer will kill an estimated 565,650 people in America this year. The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN)  is building a grassroots movement united in its mission of making cancer a top national priority. As part of a six-month, 48-state tour, the Fight Back Express bus will stop in cities throughout the country, rallying cancer patients, survivors, loved ones, and family and friends to encourage elected officials to fulfill their essential role as partners in this fight against cancer.
Hilda van Gijssel, Relay for Life advocacy chair, has been instrumental in getting the bus to stop in Valley City at the Pamida parking lot from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. An ice cream social is planned, along with prizes, and a big thank-you to the whole community for the work they have done to help fight cancer. She mentioned all the ways Valley City and Barnes County have shown their support to help find a cancer cure. The "Tough Enough to Wear Pink" campaign at the North Dakota Winter Show, the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation golf tournament held in Valley City, and the Relay for Life promotion that brought in more than $80,000 last year (and a similar amount this year).
 

Read more of this story in Monday's edition of the T-R.