What does it take to turn a breast cancer diagnosis into a movement that changed how cancer research is funded? On this episode of All Things Cancer, Dr. Sujuan Ba, CEO of the National Foundation for Cancer Research (NFCR), sits down with Fran Visco, President of the National Breast Cancer Coalition (NBCC), for a candid conversation about patient advocacy, cancer research funding, and the push for bolder science.

Fran was a lawyer, wife, and mother when she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1987. She went on to help build NBCC into one of the most influential patient advocacy organizations in the country. She explains how patient advocates earned a seat at the table in cancer research, from the Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Program to Project LEAD, the science training program that has trained more than 2,600 advocates.

The conversation also covers why researchers so often submit conservative proposals, why Fran believes it’s not how much money is spent on research but how it’s spent, and what it will take to fund high-risk, high-reward science. She shares the story behind the Artemis Project and its effort to develop a preventive breast cancer vaccine, reflects on NBCC’s bold goal to end breast cancer by 2020, and explains why patient advocates need to speak up to Congress as federal research funding comes under pressure.

Whether you’re a cancer patient, survivor, caregiver, researcher, advocate, or donor, this episode offers a clear look at how patients can influence cancer research, funding, and policy.