CureFest USA: Finding Hope Amidst Tragedy
Every year, on the third weekend in September, thousands of people impacted by childhood cancer rally in D.C. for an event called CureFest. This year, in a last-minute pivot due to the torrential downpour that struck the DMV area, hundreds of people gathered inside the JW Marriott Ballroom on Pennsylvania Avenue to advocate for more funding for childhood cancer research.
In place of the traditional outdoors Nights of Golden Lights event, an advocacy session was held by members of the childhood cancer and medical community. The event was co-hosted by Grace Wethor, a social media icon and childhood cancer fighter, and Hannah Adams, another member of the childhood cancer community. The night opened with two children’s singing groups, Studio Bleu, singing the National Anthem, and Loud and Clear, performing a cover of “The Climb” by Miley Cyrus.
Several childhood cancer fighters and survivors spoke, including Ally Anderson, a five-time childhood cancer fighter, who talked about her battle with PTSD and the long-term mental effects that cancer has on a child. One of the main points that was brought up throughout the night was that childhood cancer only receives four percent of funding from the National Cancer Institute (NCI), despite children making up nearly a quarter of the U.S. population. As cancer survivor Rikita Arora pleaded, “We deserve more than four percent!”
In addition to the fighters and survivors, several siblings of those lost to childhood cancer spoke, including Ava Santhuff, who started Ava’s Avengers, an organization that provides support for siblings of kids with cancer.
Finally, several members of the medical community spoke out at the event. As Adam Resnick, MD, CBTN said, “[Childhood cancer] isn’t a journey, it’s a war.” Finally, Catharine Young, Ph.D., member of the Biden administration’s Cancer Moonshot, an initiative that seeks to decrease the cancer death rate in the U.S., spoke about the progress that the Biden administration has made towards ending all cancers. “The Cancer Moonshot is building a world where the word ‘cancer’ loses its power, where a diagnosis isn’t a death sentence, where we prevent cancer before it starts, or where we catch it early enough so that kids and people can live long and healthy lives,” said Dr. Young.
