The Devastating Cost of Losing Medical Research Funding
A Cancer Survivor’s Call to Action
an op-ed by
Jeffrey Kendall Sapp, M.S., M.A., M.A.
Captain, United States Navy (Ret.)
Cancer Awareness Advocate | Motivational Speaker | Leadership Consultant | Leadership Coach | Senior Advisor, IMPETAS Defense Solutions
622 words/ 4 minute read time
I am speaking out about the devastating consequences of losing the type of medical research funding that is saving my life.
In September 2019, doctors diagnosed me with primary plasma cell leukemia—a rare and aggressive cancer affecting one in a million people. I was that one. Worse still, the survival rate for my cancer, at that time, was 4% and most patients’ survival is measured in months.
This is not just a call to action—it’s a plea from a cancer survivor. I owe my life to research advancements that wouldn’t have been possible without dedicated funding. For me, research isn’t just academic; it’s my lifeline.
In September and November 2019, and in March 2020, doctors told my wife I was dying. At one time they told her and my older brother that I had just a week to live, and they should plan accordingly. My wife was distraught; and, on his flight to see me, my brother wrote my eulogy.
Yet here I am—five years later.
Why? It’s because, in my third year, I entered a clinical trial made possible through funded cancer research that yielded an amazing breakthrough treatment named CAR-T Cell Therapy, and that is saving my life.
CAR-T is a groundbreaking treatment – superior to chemotherapy – for treating my type of blood cancer. It collected T cells from me, modified them in the lab to become fighting warriors that destroy cancerous cells, and then reinfused them into my body.
CAR-T is nearly precise to date, powerful, and spares my body the devastating side effects of chemotherapy treatments, which I’ve not had to undergo again since March 9, 2023!
In 2017, the FDA approved this type of therapy. Six different CAR-T cell therapies are now approved to treat various types of blood cancers.
That’s why it’s alarming that lawmakers are slashing funding for medical research including for cancer. Equally concerning, this isn’t just a distant or theoretical issue; it’s a crisis unfolding before us. The cuts to medical research will hinder clinical trials, delay drug approvals, and limit access to life-saving treatments for patients like me.
Medical research is more than science; it’s a beacon of hope. But when funding disappears, that hope dims. Consider this: a mere 1% cut to cancer research funding can disrupt life-saving treatments, tear families apart, increase suffering, and rob people of precious time—a mother, father, child, loved one, or friend.
I know this pain firsthand.
I vividly remember lying in my hospital bed feeling weak and uncertain if I’d wake up the next day. I lost my hair, I lost my strength, and at times, I even lost my hope. But I never lost my will to fight, and that’s one reason I am here today—stronger, healthier, and brimming with life.
Cancer brought unimaginable hardship, but it also gave me a renewed purpose: to advocate for cancer awareness, inspire and bring hope to others, fight for cancer research, and to rally support from lawmakers and the public.
We cannot stop now! Lives hang in the balance!
Shoutout to caregivers: We see you, we appreciate you, and we stand with you. You are unsung heroes. Your love, strength, and resilience have a profound impact on the cancer survivor, and your dedication is inspiring.
This isn’t medical advice—it’s my story. I share it because I beat impossible odds, thanks to critical research that made my survival possible. But if funding disappears, future survivors may never get their chance.
We cannot let that happen!
This crisis is real but so is hope. Continued funding will advance research, deliver new treatments, improve survival rates, and give millions a reason to believe.
Join me. Advocate for medical research funding. Spread the word. Inspire hope. Speak out. Fight for the future of funding because every life is worth saving.
Never give up! Never surrender!
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