American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network Massachusetts - ACS CAN

08/16/2025

Inaugural Massachusetts Lights of Hope in the books ✅

What a night!!! Three phenomenally talented musicians, two amazing speakers, and more than 60 attendees gathered to remember and honor those affected by cancer. We are so proud to say there were over 500 bags on display, each representing those we hold close in our hearts.

Thank you to everyone who joined us for this special night and made it one we will always remember.

As always, a huge thank you to our amazing Massachusetts American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network - ACS CAN volunteers who pour their hearts into the fight against cancer.

A very special thank you to Jeansun, Josh, and Rich from the Longwood Symphony Orchestra. You truly went above and beyond, and our night was made all the more special because of you three.

Didn't get to attend but want to dedicate a Light of Hope for a loved one impacted by cancer? You can still contribute and have a bag lit for them in Washington D.C. come September! Donate here: https://acscan.donordrive.com/participants/acscanmass

08/13/2025

TONIGHT: Musicians from the Longwood Symphony Orchestra will be performing at our Lights of Hope event! Join us from 7-9PM at the Christopher Columbus Waterfront Park in the North End of Boston for an impactful night.

If you can't join us but would like to contribute in honor or memory of a loved one touched by cancer, you can do so here: https://acscan.donordrive.com/participants/acscanmass

08/07/2025

In honor of our upcoming Lights of Hope event, we are featuring some of our volunteers' most important Lights of Hope bags. Please read below for our first feature!

Congressional District 5 Ambassador Constituent Team (ACT) Lead Marina shares why she is honoring Dr. Nouna Bakhiet with a Light of Hope.

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I met Dr. Nouna Bakhiet, or Mama Nouna as I came to call her, when I was a high schooler convinced that the only way to help people was to be a medical doctor. Under her mentorship, I learned that scientific research was how you fundamentally understood a problem and did something about it. She inspired me to want to be a cancer researcher and changed the course of my life.

Mama Nouna helped me get my first summer research internship and was the first one I emailed in ALL CAPITAL LETTERS WITH LOTS!! OF!! EXCLAMATION!! MARKS when the lab asked me to stay on after the internship ended. She was there when I transferred from community college to university. She was there when I applied for and was accepted to a highly competitive research program. She was there at my undergraduate graduation ceremony and got another SCREAMING EMAIL IN ALL!! CAPITAL!! LETTERS!! when I got into graduate school to get my PhD.

But then Mama Nouna was diagnosed with cancer and passed away during my third year of graduate school. And though she’d been with me through so many major milestones of my life, I never got to send that last screaming email telling her I was finally getting the PhD she had set me on my path toward.

This Lights of Hope, I am honoring Mama Nouna and remembering her mentorship, her warmth, her kindness, her artistic talents, and the way she would laugh with her smile so wide, and her head thrown back. Mama Nouna, I carry you in my heart every day, and I’ll be sure to eat a gluten free cookie just for you.

07/23/2025

Join us in just three weeks for our Massachusetts Lights of Hope event! RSVP to attend: https://act.fightcancer.org/a/2025-acs-can-lights-hope-event

We will be honoring and remembering those in our lives who have been touched by cancer. With a brief speaking program and a chance to decorate your own bag, this will be an impactful night highlighting our loved ones.

When: Wednesday, August 13th, 7-9PM
Where: Christopher Columbus Park in the North End of Boston

06/12/2025

Thank you Senator Joan B. Lovely for your leadership to improve access to breast cancer screenings here in MA. We appreciate your ongoing leadership and advocacy on behalf of cancer patients in the Commonweath!

An honor to be recognized alongside my colleagues, Senator Rush, Chair Murphy, and former Representative Balser, with the Massachusetts Distinguished Advocacy Award from the American Cancer Society's Cancer Action Network.

I am proud that my bill, an Act Relative to Medically Necessary Breast Screenings and Exams for Equity and Early Detection, was included in legislation signed into law last year, requiring insurers to cover diagnostic exams for breast cancer, digital breast tomosynthesis screening, and medically necessary and appropriate screening with breast MRIs and ultrasounds, in addition to preventing any increase in patient cost-sharing.

This bill is critical in removing cost barriers for patients who need more rigorous screenings due to dense breast tissue or abnormalities seen in their initial preventive screening mammograms. Thank you to Beverly Radiology Associates for bringing this issue to my attention reinforcing how critical 3D mammography is to early detection of breast cancer.

06/12/2025

Thank you Senator Jake Oliveira for your leadership to expand access to in MA and support cancer patients across the Commonwealth. We look forward to continue working together!

06/12/2025

Thank you Rep. Ann-Margaret Ferrante for joining us and sharing your impactful story. We look forward to continue working together to better the lives of cancer patients here in Massachusetts.

05/23/2025

We are so grateful to have Jung A on our team!

05/08/2025

ACS CAN is the leading cancer advocacy organization that is working every day to make cancer issues a national priority.

02/05/2025

Join us for our 2025 State Lobby Day on Tuesday, June 10th at the State House in Boston! This annual event is an exciting opportunity to meet with your state legislators and share your WHY for fighting cancer through advocacy. RSVP today:

ACS CAN is the leading cancer advocacy organization that is working every day to make cancer issues a national priority.

12/18/2024

ACS CAN is the leading cancer advocacy organization that is working every day to make cancer issues a national priority.

11/19/2024

We are so excited that An Act relative to medically necessary breast screenings and exams for equity and early detection is now law in Massachusetts.

Thank you to Governor Maura Healey & her administration for helping to save lives and increase access. Thank you to Senator Mike Rush State Representative James M. Murphy, and the entire legislature for making this happen!