The problem she's taking on is a big one - so large, in fact, that there's no definitive answer on the number of people impacted.
Testing took place in New Mexico and Nevada, two states bordering Arizona, and the Copper State itself also became home to much of America's uranium mining starting in 1918. "They knew that there were dangers associated with this," Hanna says of the U.S. government."It's hard enough when you lose your dad or you lose your husband, but to know that they possibly were infected with this cancer because of something the government took part in and authorized? It's very distressing."
"It's not enough to just extend the program as it is, because it has these really major flaws, and you know, these communities in some cases have been fighting for coverage for, you know, up to 80 years," explained Lilly Adams, outreach consultant for the Union of Concerned Scientists. "This is so critical, it would be just unconscionable... if Congress cannot come together," Hanna said.