Trump cuts to NIH causing life-or-death delays in care: ‘Cancer shouldn’t be political’

Natalie Phelps, who has stage 4 colorectal cancer, has raised the alarm over how patients in the agency’s clinical trials are facing setbacks in treatment

A 43-year-old woman and mother of two with advanced cancer is experiencing life-or-death delays in treatment because of the Trump administration’s cuts to the National Institutes of Health.

Natalie Phelps, who has stage 4 colorectal cancer, has spoken publicly, raising the alarm about a setback in care for herself and others who are part of clinical trials run by the agency. Her story has made it into congressional hearings and spurred a spat between a Democratic senator and health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr. Behind the scenes, she and others are advocating to get her treatment started sooner.

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