(Washington D.C.)- For all of the pain, all of the tears and all of the suffering, the victims of childhood cancer, their supporters and survivors can each mark at least one victory in the win column this week. On Thursday, after years of hard work and spurred on by personal tragedies, we in the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Caroline Pryce Walker Conquer Childhood Cancer Act of 2008.

Though it must still pass the Senate, the Conquer Childhood Cancer Act will finally draw attention and set aside much needed funding to research and eradicate the number one killer of our children among diseases. It will also establish a database to evaluate trends and provide outreach to make sure families are aware of available treatment.

We as a country must act with a greater sense of urgency. While modern medicine has made strides, your child is still more likely to die from cancer than from drownings, fires, poisonings and accidental firearm deaths combined.

I have seen the young faces of cancer at Dell Children’s Medical Center. I have also seen through microscopes at Texas Children’s and M.D. Anderson in Houston leukemia cells destroyed by drugs. It saddens me that the price to research these miracles puts them just out of reach.

There's nothing more painful than to look into the eyes of a child who is dying from this disease, whose parents look at you as a member of Congress and say, ‘Isn't there something you can do?’ The answer is we can do something: fund research for treatment. Every now and then, as members of Congress, we have one of those moments, moments we feel like we can truly make a difference. This in my view is one of those moments.

As its name suggests, the Act is named for Caroline Pryce Walker. She was nine years old in 1999 when she lost her valiant battle. She was also the daughter of my friend and colleague, U.S. Rep. Deborah Pryce of Ohio, who, like many who have lost a loved one, decided to do everything in her power to kill the cancer beast. The world knows that Cancer does not discriminate. And it will take a world of research including the best and brightest in our government-funded laboratories, to and one day proclaim victory in a long, costly war. For now, Rep. Price, myself and countless others can smile for a moment claiming victory in one battle along the way.


All of our lives have been affected in some way by this disease. I lost my father to cancer when he was 63. I also lost a childhood friend to leukemia in fourth grade. And while I was first campaigning for Congress in 2003, I was privileged to meet the Culliver family from Brenham.

Tim and Donna Culliver had just experienced the horror of their own child taken from them. Adam was only four years old when he lost a very short battle to Acute Myelogenous Leukemia. Like so many young children do, Adam had a bout with low-grade fever. Doctors thought it was a virus. But another blood test showed Adam was fighting cancer in his body. Four days later the Cullivers had lost their son.

Meeting the Cullivers motivated me to pursue legislation for cancer research funding when I arrived in Washington. I also spoke before the United Nations’ World Health Organization on the bill we have now passed. The Caroline Pryce Walker Act is a significant step toward securing research funding at the national level. But it will not happen without further support to ensure that it now passes the U.S. Senate. I urge you to contact your senators and ask them to vote in favor of H.R. 1553, and in favor of prioritizing the fight against childhood cancer.

It is said that a measure of a person’s life is what they did to leave this world a better place. As the proud father of five children, I believe it is incumbent upon each of us, especially those of us elected to serve, to do our part to rid this world of a disease that does not discriminate, for the sake of my children, yours, and eventually theirs.