WASHINGTON — An Alabama father who had to tell his wife and 7-year-old daughter that he had stage 4 cancer is now a survivor fighting for cancer research funding on Capitol Hill as the Trump administration considers cuts.
Gary Cornelius from Cullman was diagnosed with stage 4 Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2002 and had an immediate recurrence, which he said meant his only option for remission was a clinical trial funded by the National Institutes of Health and National Cancer Institute.
“I’m alive today because of research funding that was supported 30 years ago,” Cornelius told Alabama Daily News this week during his visit to D.C.
Cornelius credits having access to that trial with getting to watch his daughter grow up.
“I was able to be alive to be the one to teach her how to drive,” Cornelius told ADN. “Due to that research funding, I was able to sit by the tennis court and watch her win three state championships for her high school.”
He wants others who are diagnosed with cancer to get the same opportunities that he did. So, Cornelius brought his story to Capitol Hill. He talked with Alabama lawmakers advocating for continued federal investment in critical research and against cuts. He’s a volunteer with the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network.
Under the Trump administration, federal grants for health research have been upended, health department staff have been cut, and efforts have been made to cap indirect costs for NIH grants for universities and research, including UAB, where Cornelius received part of his treatment.
“If we cut research funding, we’re affecting our children and our grandchildren’s generations, because we’ll lose these researchers,” Cornelius said. “We lose the battle of maintaining the cutting edge within the U.S. healthcare system.”
Director of UAB’s O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center, Dr. Barry Sleckman, was also in Washington Wednesday to testify on the importance of federal funding for biomedical research during a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing. UAB’s cancer center is the state’s only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center, treating more than 20,000 patients.
“Impactful biomedical research that lessens the burden of disease does not only take a village, it takes a country,” Sleckman said. “Until recently, this country has been undeniably the United States for generations.”
U.S. Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., who sits on the committee, introduced Sleckman at the hearing, calling him “a leading voice in cancer research and patient care.”
Sleckman has spent 27 years conducting cancer research. He said he’s seen breakthroughs in treatment, like for metastatic melanoma, turn a life expectancy from months to 10 years or more for some patients.
“For generations, the U.S. has prioritized biomedical research, trained the next generation of scientists, and accelerated the pace of disease-curing discoveries,” Sleckman said.
Britt used her time during the hearing to highlight the importance of medical research. She has previously highlighted the work done at UAB and other institutions, while at the same time calling for ways to ensure federal money is spent wisely.
“We understand that smart investment and continued research is essential to make sure that we can save lives and change lives moving forward,” Britt said.
Britt asked Sleckman to explain how federal funding is unique when it comes to cancer prevention research.
“…in part because there are not a lot of other revenue streams for cancer prevention,” Sleckman said. “This is not really a high priority, for example, for industry and pharma. So, federal funding to understand how to develop cancer prevention approaches is critical.”
The hearing revealed there is bipartisan support for finding ways to protect federal funding for biomedical research. That’s something that Cornelius, who Britt mentioned during the hearing, was heartened to see while in Washington.
“I think the committee itself is ready to fight the fight to protect cancer research funding,” Cornelius said.