I recall, a few years ago, I was in a physics lab, and these bizarre, unknown yellow bracelets were on nearly every desk surrounding me.I soon learned, they were innovated by endurance athlete Lance Armstrong, created through the LiveStrong Foundation, which was created to fund and encourage cancer research.

Seemingly, everyone around the globe had one of these easily identifiable bracelets. They disappeared. Worse, those who wore them, were overweight, fast-food consuming, cigarette smoking, angry individuals, not remotely indicative of the ethos “Live Strong”

Cancer is not distant. I know a survivor, I had a cousin lost to it, and I know a woman who continues to fight this formidable challenge. Today, a battle was won in the greater war.

In 1971, Congress and President Nixon declared war on cancer. Since then, men have begun to cease smoking, and lung cancer is rapidly declining. In 2003, 396 fewer cancer deaths occurred in the U.S. We now know, that in 2004, there were 3,014 fewer deaths. What I find most alarming about this statistic, is that this is a result of the continuity of basic cancer research.

Today, we can embrace this achievement - but must be careful not to label it with the attributes of victory. For when we succumb to the tranquilizing drug of gradualism, we lose the vigor which is essential to achieving these watershed events in the history of health and medicine.

Don’t stop here.