A Navy Veteran’s Call to Action
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
[email protected]
924 words/6-minute read time
This Page Contains:
- 10 slides from a pictorial presentation advocating for continued funding of cancer research.
- Jeffrey’s March 2025 op-ed with more detailed information he used in advocating for continued funding of cancer research.
- How to reach Jeffrey to book him for presentations or discuss other advocacy options.
Are They Crazy or Just Cruel?
An op-ed in response to massive cuts in governmental funding for medical research.
Lawmakers are cutting funding for medical and cancer research Are they serious? Have they lost their collective mind? What they are doing is shortsighted, reckless, irresponsible, and inhibits medical progress and breakthroughs. This is not some distant policy, theoretical debate, or hypothetical concern, its reality; a full-blown crisis unfolding before us. And if we fail to act, only heaven knows what else could be taken from us.
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! We can ill afford to stand by and watch as lives are lost due to cutbacks. We must hold lawmakers accountable for the human cost of their decisions.
Lives depend on it and time is running out.
As one who owns his life to the success of medical research, I refuse to stand idly while lawmakers inhibit cancer research that could discover revolutionary cures. We must speak up about the consequences of losing research funding.
Medical research drives breakthroughs that improve treatments, enhance quality of life, and unlock cures. Reducing funding silences researchers, delays innovation, and puts patients’ lives in harm’s way, particularly for those battling chronic illnesses, rare diseases, or life-threatening conditions.
TIME TO SPEAK UP
Medicare, the VA, and the NIH funded the critical medical research that produced innovative treatments unimaginable 30 years ago that is saving my life. That’s why I am furious about lawmakers slashing funding for millions of patients who rely on it to survive.
How dare they?
I owe my life to medical research advancements that would not have been possible without dedicated funding. For me, cancer research isn’t just an academic pursuit or science; it’s a lifeline. Cutting funding isn’t just a policy decision—it’s a death sentence for anyone relying on research programs for a fighting chance. These people are not just numbers on a budget
sheet. They are individuals assaulted by life and death decisions—someone’s mother, father, child, family member, or friend.
MY DIAGNOSIS
In 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 of my cancer at that time was 4% and most patients’ survival is measured in months.
Three days after being admitted I was transferred to an ICU where I spent for 45 days because I contracted pneumonia and the cancer had a frightening foothold in my body.
Consequently, I received five consecutive days of chemotherapy and since my kidneys were destroyed by the cancer, seven consecutive days of dialysis; not a whole lot of fun, but together, they stabilized me to receive other cancer treatments .
Those initial lifesaving procedures were based on knowledge gained through medical research; otherwise, I would have died.
Shortly thereafter, a doctor informed my wife the odds of me surviving were grim and she should be prepared. She received a similar prognosis in November. Then, in March 2020, another informed her and my older brother
I was dying, had only a week to live, and they should plan accordingly.
My wife was distraught, and my brother wrote my eulogy during his flight to see me.
Yet here I am—five years later. Why?
It’s because medical research discovered advancements in cancer treatments that kept me alive for three years. Then, during my third year, I entered a clinical trial made possible through research that yielded an amazing breakthrough named CAR-T Cell Therapy.
CAR-T CELL THERAPY
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 a lab to become fighting warriors that destroy cancerous cells, then reinfused them into my body. It’s precise, powerful, and spares the body from the disturbing side effects of chemotherapy, which I’ve not had in more than 18 months!
In 2017, FDA approved this type of therapy. Six different CAR-T cell therapies are now approved to treat several types of blood cancers. That is why it is so alarming that lawmakers are slashing medical funding, including that for cancer research. Equally concerning is this isn’t just a distant concern; it’s a crisis unfolding before us.
ABOUT MEDICAL RESEARCH
The cuts to medical research will hinder clinical trials, slow progress, delay drug approvals, and limit access to life-saving treatments for cancer patients. In that regard it puts lives at risk, steals futures, and could mean the difference between a patient living or dying.
Medical research is more than science; it’s a beacon of hope that dims
when funding disappears. Consider this: a mere 1% cut to cancer research funding can disrupt life-saving treatments, increase suffering, and rob people of precious time—a mother, father, child, loved one, or friend.
OTHER CANCER IMPACTS
I know this pain firsthand. Cancer brought me unimaginable hardship.
I vividly remember lying in my hospital bed feeling uncertain I’d wake up the next day. I lost my hair, I lost my strength, and I occasionally lost 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 also gave me a renewed purpose: to advocate for cancer Awareness, inspire and bring hope to others, fight for cancer research, and rally support from lawmakers and the public. We cannot be idle. Lives hang in the balance.
CAREGIVERS
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 cancer patients, and your dedication is
inspiring.
TAKE AWAYS
This isn’t medical advice—it’s my perspective. I share it because I beat difficult odds thanks to critical research that made my survival possible. If funding disappears, future patients may never get their chance.
Click Here to watch my TEDxWarrenton Talk: Surviving Primary Plasma Cell Leukemia
This crisis is real but so is hope. Continued funding will advance research, deliver new treatments, improve survival rates, strengthen hope, and give millions of cancer patients a reason to believe they have a fighting chance.
CALL TO ACTION
Join me! Advocate for medical research funding. Spread the word. Inspire hope. Speak out. Fight for the continued funding because, every life is
worth saving.
Never Give Up! Never Surrender!
I am available to give online presentations about leadership, advocacy, cancer, and other topics. I can customize them for you or your group, whether the audience is youth who are trying to find their ways in life or C-Suite executives who want to sharpen their leadership skills.
Chat with Jeffrey
If you would like to learn more, let’s have a free chat (up to 30-minutes) about your needs and how I can serve you best. Use my email address: [email protected]. Please put the topic you want to discuss in the Subject Line.
After our initial 30-minute session, if you’d like to continue our conversation or explore a consultation, we can arrange a plan that works for you.
I look forward to talking with you!
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