Kim Reynolds: “ask anyone you know or even someone you pass on the street if they know someone who has cancer and nearly every single…”

“ask anyone you know or even someone you pass on the street if they know someone who has cancer and nearly every single person will respond with a heart-wrenching ``Yes.'' Today I come before my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to ask for their support in helping the littlest cancer warriors--children. Anthony Peca is a grandfather from my district who recently lost his granddaughter, Catie, to cancer. Catie had neuroblastoma and was denied access to a clinical trial. She fought valiantly like only a child can, but in the end the cancer overcame her. And now, Anthony Peca and his family are left with a hole in their hearts, knowing from experience that eight years old is too young to die. According to the National Childhood Cancer Foundation, cancer kills more children than any other disease. Each year cancer kills more children than asthma, diabetes, cystic fibrosis, congenital anomalies, and AIDS, combined. In recent years, cancer research has made leaps and bounds in progress, yet the incidence of cancer among children in this country is rising almost 1 percent per year. The research is simply not keeping up. And children are suffering because of it. And it's not just the disease itself that exacts such a heavy toll. How much do families suffer emotionally and financially? How do we rebuild a child's youthful spirit and innocence once it has been shattered by the disease inside them? There isn't a medicine strong enough to mend the soul of a child.”