Fourteen-year-old Jacob Froehlich suffered from leukemia as a child, an illness that kills one in five victims. But with the help of progressive treatments, including a bone marrow transplant, he has been free from the disease for seven years.
Froehlich has not simply rejoiced in his good fortune, however. The rising ninth-grader is now working hard to convince federal lawmakers to direct serious funding to leukemia research. He has made several trips to Washington, D.C., to meet with senators and representatives, urging them to support bills increasing the funding.
A bill providing $150 million for the research has been approved by the House, and it is waiting for the Senate to consider it. Froehlich wants to streamline the process and get the Senate to act soon.
He has met with numerous lawmakers, including Sen. Ted Kennedy (D–Mass.) just a few weeks before the Senator was diagnosed with brain cancer. He also chatted briefly with Sen. Barack Obama (D–Ill.).
Adjusted for inflation, funding for childhood leukemia research has remained relatively unchanged over the past several years. Froehlich hopes his efforts will change that stagnancy and bring much-needed additional funds to the cause.
For his courage and determination, Froehlich has been awarded the TeenUp Award. The award is given each week to a teen who is working to improve the world in significant ways. It is directed by Michael Robert Evans, the author of the young-adult novel 68 Knots.
For a video about Froehlich’s efforts, go to YouTube and search for TeenUp.
Monday, July 21, 2008
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