The 14th Annual Childhood Cancer Summit

This week, I had the privilege of hosting our 14th annual Childhood Cancer Summit. 

After watching my childhood best friend pass away from leukemia in 4th grade, a permanent mark was left on my life. When I entered Congress 20 years ago, I realized that all the cancer research, treatment, and therapies were focused on the adults—not the children. 

I thought that was incredibly wrong. More needed to be done for these kids, so I founded the Childhood Cancer Caucus in 2005. It has been the highlight of my career to see these beautiful lives changed through our work.

It was an honor to be among such brave, tough children this week. I hope these photos inspire you as much as they did me:

Throughout my time in Congress, we have passed incredibly impactful legislation dedicated to ending childhood cancer — The Creating Hope Act, The Star Act,RACE for Children Act of 2017 — and we're not done.

This week, I introduced the Childhood Cancer Clinical Trials Act. Our children and their futures are our most precious investment, which is why I introduced this legislation: to ensure nothing stands between them and potentially life-saving clinical trials.

I will never stop fighting to give these brave patients, survivors and advocates hope, as we work to end childhood cancer once and for all. To read more about the Childhood Cancer Clinical Trials Act, click here.

I also spoke with KXAN about our new legislation, and the importance of fighting for these precious souls. Click below to hear more.