Excerpt of an article published in the Imperial Valley News.

Each year in the United States, nearly 16,000 kids are diagnosed with cancer. And on any given day, as many as 5 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’€™s disease. Beyond its debilitating symptoms, the death rate for Alzheimer’€™s is on the rise.

But there are steps you can take to protect your family from these potentially devastating medical conditions.

One idea that may come as a surprise to many Americans is to contact your congressional representatives and the candidates for their seats.

That’€™s the suggestion of a national, nonpartisan, voter education initiative called ’€œAsk Your Candidates!’€ designed to empower voters to talk to candidates about the future of medical progress in the United States. Congress plays a key role in influencing the future of lifesaving research. Many voters are asking candidates if, once elected, they will vote to increase federal funding for medical research and support policies that spur innovation.

The initiative helps voters engage candidates on social media and through local events, grassroots, advertising and other interactive projects.

Read the full article here.