During Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, Gov. Andy Beshear and First Lady Britainy Beshear are recognizing Kentucky's leading role in the fight against childhood cancer, the leading cause of death by disease for American children, highlighting $45.5 million in state funding for research and family support during the Beshear administration.
"Every kid deserves the chance to grow up. And no parent should ever have to choose between buying the food their child needs to eat or the medicine they need to survive," Gov. Beshear said. "While the federal government has cut funding for medical research and healthcare coverage, Team Kentucky has stepped up, providing more than $45 million in state funding during my administration for pediatric cancer research and support for families going through this."
Since its founding in 2015, the Kentucky Pediatric Cancer Research Trust Fund (KPCRTF) has sponsored 62 childhood cancer research projects led by investigators at the University of Louisville and the University of Kentucky. Scientists are exploring ways to use a child's own immune system to fight brain tumors such as Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG) and medulloblastoma, studying inherited genes that raise childhood cancer risk, and building a central database for pediatric cancer research. One research group submitted a provisional patent application for a novel cancer drug especially pertinent to pediatric brain cancer, and multiple new drugs or pre-drugs have been identified or are under development. One-third of research grants leveraged their findings to secure more funds.
"Families affected by childhood cancer deserve enhanced treatment and answers that research can provide, as well as quality healthcare coverage and financial and personal support to help navigate the unimaginable," said Mrs. Beshear. "Andy and I are committed to being there for these brave children and their families."
In May 2025 and November 2025, the KPCRTF awarded nearly $4 million to seven nonprofits and medical centers providing social, emotional and financial support. Kim Clements, whose teenage daughter Kaitlyn was diagnosed with leukemia last year, said nurses at Norton were "true angels on Earth" and credited child life specialists, art and music therapists, Kids Cancer Alliance and Gilda's Club with supporting her family through hospital stays.
Last week, Gov. Beshear took action to relieve $250 million in medical debt for more than 130,000 Kentuckians. On Sept. 1, the Governor and First Lady lit the Governor's Mansion gold for Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, and on Sept. 10, Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman presented the administration's proclamation to families at Norton Children's Hospital.