The manner in which we as a country have been attacking the cancer problem is not working. Cancer still takes kids from their families on a daily, weekly and yearly basis and the incidence rates are not lessening. That is unacceptable.

It starts with us as advocates educating our physicians on these pathways and expanding the overall knowledge base of these channels. This is often difficult for a parent who is trying to balance saving their child with making every moment count.

The fight against childhood cancer is not possible without innovative drugs that are available for delivery without significant restrictions.

It is easy for me to write about childhood cancer in many respects. It matters to me. It touched me personally through the diagnosis and loss of my amazing daughter Alexis. Where I think the struggle lies is changing the entire landscape with respect to fighting the disease.

Every parent who has lost a child to disease or some other mechanism knows this pang. In most instances, as time marches beyond the day your child passed away, these moments of blunt force trauma to the soul are brought about without any warning or advanced notice.

It could not be more important that the federal government, through the direction of NCI, does more to fight childhood cancer.

There are times in long endurance events when the destructive thoughts begin to filter through your brain, suggesting how truly pleasurable it would feel to simply take a seat and stop. As those thoughts taunted me, my mind turned to one thought: my daughter never quit, neither will I.

I wanted to take this opportunity to bring to light an issue that I think deserves much more awareness and attention on the federal level. Childhood cancer. Childhood cancer is the number one disease killer of our children in this country. Were you aware of this fact?

The FDA and the institutional review boards, rather than being impediments to patients gaining access to potentially life-saving drugs, must become a partner with patients. Regulatory impediments before parents must be eased.