UNITED AGAINST CANCER

By SHERRI RUGGIERI

While the daily media frenzies bombard the public, President Trump signed S. 292, the Childhood Cancer STAR Act into law.  This law provides: “$30 million a year through FY 2023 for grants to support the National Childhood Cancer Registry; the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to make awards to support childhood cancer biorepositories available to health care professionals and scientific researchers; the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to award grants to state cancer registries to enhance and expand infrastructure to track the epidemiology of cancer in children, adolescents and young adults; and the [National Institutes of Health] (NIH)’s Director to make grants to entities to conduct or support research relating to pediatric cancer survivors.”  The Childhood Cancer STAR Act reauthorizes and modifies the National Childhood Cancer Registry as well as creating pilot programs for cancer survivors.  By the offer of federal funding, states will have a monetary incentive to enter the battle against childhood cancers.

Congressman Leonard Lance (NJ-07) expressed his support for the pediatric cancer community: “It is heartbreaking when a child is stricken with a cancer diagnosis.  We need to improve the federal services . . .  from research and access to treatment and survivorship.  The federal health care and research entities must be doing all they can, and the Childhood Cancer STAR Act delivers more resources and reform to make sure we are winning the fight against pediatric cancer by strengthening grants for promising and expanded programming.  I have met with families who have faced these terrible circumstances and I have been touched by their stories of perseverance and hope.”

Lance received the Congressional Champion Award by One Voice Against Cancer (OVAC), a coalition of national public interest groups of cancer researchers, patients, survivors and their families united in their battle against cancer.

Sherri Ruggieri is the managing editor of Empire State News and a breast cancer survivor.   A practicing attorney for over 20 years, Ms. Ruggieri is also chairperson of Edison Township’s Planning Board. Additionally, she has served as a college professor, with nearly a decade of experience in teaching law and political science courses

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