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Washington, D.C. -- Today, Congresswoman Jennifer Wexton (D-VA) announced 19-year-old childhood cancer advocate, Caoilinn McLane, as her virtual guest for President Biden’s first address to Congress. Caoilinn is a Virginia-10 constituent and recently participated in a roundtable hosted by Congresswoman Wexton with kids and young adults who had or currently have cancer. The event was a part of a series highlighting the bipartisan Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Act 2.0, the first bill Wexton introduced in the 117th Congress.

“I was so moved and inspired by my constituent Caoilinn McLane during my last roundtable on childhood cancer. While battling leukemia, Caoilinn has used her platform and her efforts to advocate for the urgency of more robust funding needed for childhood cancer research,” said Congresswoman Jennifer Wexton. “Virginia-10 is proud of Caoilinn, and I am truly honored to have her as my guest for President Biden’s first address to Congress. Caoilinn is a fighter and we are so lucky to have her help in our push for this lifesaving legislation.”

Caoilinn was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML), a rare and aggressive blood cancer, at age 15. During Wexton’s roundtable last month, Caoilinn shared her experience battling cancer and her message to lawmakers about the importance of funding research for child-specific treatments and cures.

Wexton introduced the bipartisan Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Act 2.0 in January 2021 to provide a new source of funding for the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) Gabriella Miller Kids First Pediatric Research Program (Kids First) by redirecting penalties collected from pharmaceutical, cosmetic, supplement, and medical device companies that break the law. The bill is named in honor of Gabriella Miller, a Virginia-10 resident, who was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor and passed away in 2013 at age 10.

In 2021, it is estimated that 10,500 children in the U.S. under the age of 15 will be diagnosed with cancer. Cancer is the number one cause of disease-related death in children age 14 and younger in the U.S. Childhood cancers differ from those found in adults in that they do not stem from lifestyle or other common risk factors. Many children with cancer do not respond well to conventional treatments, which have resulted in long-term health and disability issues for patients, even if the cancer is successfully cured. Yet, only 4% of the government’s funding for cancer research is specifically directed towards the development of treatments and cures for childhood cancer and other rare diseases.

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