WASHINGTON—On Thursday, U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) introduced a resolution designating July 2022 as National Sarcoma Awareness Month, to raise awareness of sarcoma, a form of cancer, and to honor the life of Melissa Locke and the many other Americans that this disease affects. Sen. Johnson first introduced this resolution last year designating July 2021 as National Sarcoma Awareness Month, and it was passed in the Senate by unanimous consent

“I am pleased to re-introduce this resolution to honor Melissa Locke and the countless other Americans who have struggled with the life-threatening disease sarcoma,” said Senator Johnson. “I hope we can continue to increase awareness of this complex form of cancer that is diagnosed thousands of times each year.”

Sen. Johnson with Melissa and Brendan Locke

“In the United States about 16,000 individuals are diagnosed with sarcoma each year; approximately 7,000 individuals die from sarcoma each year; about 50,000 individuals struggle with sarcoma at any 1 time; each year, about 1 percent of cancers diagnosed in adults and around 20 percent of cancers diagnosed in children are sarcoma,” the resolution read in part.

“July 2022 would be an appropriate month to designate as National Sarcoma Awareness Month to raise awareness about sarcoma, and to encourage more individuals in the United States to get properly diagnosed and treated.”

A copy of the resolution can be found here.

###