In the legislative jockeying to avert a pre-holiday federal government shutdown a Loudoun County-inspired effort to dedicate more money to childhood cancer research successfully emerged.
The Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Act 2.0 reauthorizes federal funding for a special National Institute of Health program that supports research of treatments and cures for childhood cancer.
The program was created in 2015 when Congress appropriated $12.6 million annually for the effort.
It is named after a 10-year-old Leesburg girl who died from a rare brain disease in 2013. In the year before her death, Gabriella Miller raised national awareness about childhood cancer and inspired the creation of the Smashing Walnuts Foundation, referencing her walnut-sized brain tumor. The foundation, founded by her parents Ellyn and Mark, works to secure funding for the Kids First Research Fund and other programs aimed at eradicating devastating childhood diseases.
Source: Gabriella’s Work Continues: Funding Extended for Childhood Cancer Research Effort
