I know what you 're thinking : What do Justin Timberlake and I have in common ? First , we 're both responsible for bringing sexy back . Second , we 're both standing up to cancer on Friday . Why ? Well , I do n't know Justin 's connection to cancer , but I do know mine . I lost both of my grandfathers , an uncle and numerous friends to cancer . Additionally , my mother is a cancer survivor . ( First , uterine cancer , and then kidney cancer . ) And I know that all the stars who are coming out Friday night and all the viewers at home have been personally touched by cancer in some way . They 've seen the havoc the disease can wreak on a person 's life , family , friends and immune system . No matter who you are , how wealthy you are , how famous you are , cancer will find a way into your life , affecting you or someone you love . Every day , 1,600 Americans die from cancer . Eight million people worldwide will die this year from the disease . In the U.S. , one in every two men and one out of every three women will be diagnosed with some form of cancer in their lifetimes . Stand Up to Cancer is a movement designed to get top researchers from the best medical centers focused on highly specialized projects aimed at bringing new treatments to people faster and making everyone diagnosed with cancer a survivor . We 're gearing up for a national election , yet it 's rare to hear leaders from either major political party say anything about cancer . We , the people , must . It 's why for years now , I 've `` spontaneously '' showed up at baseball games and other events to support cancer research and on the Friday after Labor Day , I put on one of those fancy T-shirts and stand up to cancer with my friends from film , TV , music and sports . Say what you want about the entertainment industry ( and , really , what has n't been said ? ) but on this one , we 're getting it right . For all the issues and problems facing us all right now , this is one of the most pressing . It 's also one of the most promising . Scientists and doctors are genuinely excited about the progress in the fight against the disease . Certain cancers have higher survival rates than others . By having dedicated dream teams of scientists collaborating in an unprecedented manner and studying the connections between certain types of cancers , those kinds of cancer with lower survival rates have been put on notice . ( That 's right , pancreatic cancer , your days are numbered . ) During Friday 's broadcast , you will hear first-hand from patients bravely participating in clinical trials and scientists on the front lines of the war against the disease , and your favorite movie stars will share stories of real people , just like my mom , who went through hell and back because of cancer . But after all , we are the entertainment industry , and therefore you will be entertained by the likes of Coldplay , Alicia Keys , Tim McGraw and Taylor Swift . ( I personally picked the music . You 're welcome . ) But even with an incredible lineup of stars that includes Tom Hanks , Julia Roberts , Samuel L. Jackson , one of our executive producers Gwyneth Paltrow and America 's newest sweethearts , Olympic gold medalists Gabrielle Douglas and Missy Franklin , there will still be cynics out there . From the hopeless : `` Cancer will never be cured . Why bother ? '' To the apathetic : `` The war on cancer is decades old . Why bother ? '' To those whose sole purpose in life is to point fingers : `` Cancer is all a matter of lifestyle . Why bother ? '' To the conspiracy theorists : `` The drug companies do n't really want a cure for cancer . Why bother ? '' To these people , I say , `` Stand Up . And stand up now . '' We have been finding cures for diseases since the beginning of time . Polio was decades old before the March of Dimes movement , initially broadcast on radio , galvanized a country to find a cure . To those who think cancer is solely a byproduct of unhealthy living , I say healthy people get cancer , too . And to those conspiracy theorists out there , I am reminded of something Stand Up to Cancer 's co-founder Laura Ziskin used to say : `` The people who work at drug companies get cancer , too . So do their mothers , wives , husbands , sons and daughters . They want it to end , like the rest of us . '' So now is our time . This is our movement . Pull up a chair ( I recommend bringing a box of Kleenex or two with you ) , turn on just about any channel on TV Friday night and at some point go to su2c.org and give what you can . Stand Up . So that one day your grandkids or your great-grandkids will ask you , `` What is cancer ? '' And you 'll proudly say , `` Something of the past . And boy , 'Modern Family ' was a helluva show . '' Follow @ CNNOpinion on Twitter .
`` Stand Up to Cancer '' fundraiser will be on TV Friday at 8 p.m . ET . Organization , backed by entertainment industry , funds research . Eric Stonestreet says his family has been touched by cancer , as have so many others . Stonestreet : Let 's make cancer a thing of the past .