I’m Kristen Schmidt, and my 2-year-old son – lovingly known as Super Bubba – is fighting for his life against stage 4 rhabdomyosarcoma of the PROSTATE (RMS), an aggressive pediatric cancer. While adult cancers receive over $7.2 billion in research funding, childhood cancers get less than 4% of that ($289m) – despite being the #1 disease killer of our kids.This isn’t just numbers. This is my baby. This is thousands of babies every year. We demand Congress and the NIH immediately:

• Reclassify pediatric cancer as a national priority with dedicated funding streams
• Guarantee at least 12% of cancer research dollars go to childhood cancers
• Fast-track new treatments specifically designed for children’s bodies (not just hand-me-down adult drugs)

Bubba is running out of time. So are thousands of other kids. Sign now if you believe no child should fight cancer with one hand tied behind their back. For Bubba. For every warrior.
#BubbasRide #GoldenCureQuest #ChildhoodCancer

Childhood Cancer Funding Facts – 2025 Edition

1. Total U.S. cancer research budget (NCI)
   ≈ $7.9–$8 billion per year
2. Amount that goes to ALL pediatric cancers combined
   Still stuck at 4–5% → roughly $289–$400 million (most years it hovers right around that $289M mark advocates scream about)
3. New childhood cancer cases every year (ages 0–19)
   ≈ 15,000 new diagnoses (9,550 kids 0–14 + ~5,140 adolescents 15–19)
   → That’s ~1 in 264 kids/teens before age 20
4. Rhabdomyosarcoma (Super Bubba’s exact fight)
   Only 350–400 new cases/year → $0 dedicated NCI funding line
   Survival for metastatic alveolar RMS: ~50–65% with 40–50-year-old drugs
5. The game-changer: AI tumor simulations inspired by Super Bubba
   Using real-time growth vectors (1.2 cm/month), 87% RMS match, and quantum modeling → proof we can build tailored, targeted medicine for every kid instead of one-size-fits-all adult hand-me-downs
   → This is the path to 94%+ survival when we finally fund it right!

That’s the raw, unfiltered truth.
One signature = one demand to reclassify pediatric cancers and unlock real funding so AI like Bubba’s sim becomes standard care, not a miracle.