Around the time I first learned my daughter's diagnosis, I was sitting on the couch in the living room talking to my mom. The conversation turned to politics, and then all of a sudden, I found myself angry and crying about the cuts to federal cancer research grants. It was a very emotional time.
I'm not crying about the budget (much) any more, but I am still really pissed off about it. And mostly I'm pissed off because these cuts are so needlessly cruel and unnecessary.
Sometimes I draft social media posts in my head, but I never actually publish them. I don't want to deal with the comments that come after. One about cancer funding has been rattling around in my head for a while. Then a friend posted an article about cancer funding cuts, and I just couldn't stop myself.
After making the Facebook post, I realized that yelling at my friends who mostly agree with me was unlikely to do anything. So, I wrote a letter to my senators and sent it to them. Did it make me feel better? Kind of, but also not really. They are still going to vote in support of these heinous budget cuts. We do what we can.
Here's the letter anyway.
Dear Senators Tillis and Budd,
I am writing to express my concern about the proposed spending cuts to the National Cancer Institute and the removal of funding for pediatric cancer programs like Give Kids a Chance in the “One Big Beautiful Bill.”
In May of this year, my 9 year old daughter was diagnosed with diffuse midline glioma (DMG), an aggressive form of brain cancer that makes up roughly 10-15% of all pediatric brain tumors. So far, she has received excellent care at Levine Children’s Hospital here in Charlotte. She will start radiation next week and will get treatment every weekday for 6 weeks. After that, our only treatment option lies in experimental drug therapies, available only through clinical trials. Without continued investment in research from the federal government, these therapies may never become available. Because of the lack of available treatment options, fewer than 10% of children with DMG survive more than two years.
Nearly 15,000 children are diagnosed with cancer annually, yet pediatric cancer receives just 4% of federal cancer funding. Cutting this lifeline will halt the progress that is being made in the fight against childhood cancer and strip hope from families like mine across North Carolina and the nation.
You both have consistently championed pro-life legislation. In your commitment to protect life, please remember the children whose lives are lost fighting this horrible disease. Funding cancer research is not a partisan issue. It is a moral one. We have the best cancer research hospitals in the world, but they cannot continue to save lives without the resources to innovate.
I ask you to oppose the cancer research funding cuts in the current budget proposal and support the full funding of pediatric cancer research programs. Do not let loyalty to a party undermine your commitment to protecting the lives of our children.
Sincerely,
The Mom
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