NEBRASKA STORIES: A sister’s fear over federal funding for cancer research

By Kim Stabbe

My baby sister, Kelli, lost her battle against pancreatic cancer at the age of 47. In 2015, after only a year and a half from her diagnosis, she was like most pancreatic cancer patients that die not long after their diagnosis due to the lack of cancer research that is needed to diagnose the disease sooner and provide better treatments.

Kelli touched the lives of many prior to her diagnosis and during her battle with cancer. Kelli dropped off food to people in need on her way to her chemo treatments because she cared so deeply for others. Kelli touched the hearts and lives of everyone she met.

While she was battling cancer, Kelli and I discussed why there wasn’t more knowledge about pancreatic cancer diagnosis and treatment. I promised her I would advocate for more funding for pancreatic cancer research to try to help others survive it. I worked with the University of Nebraska Foundation to set up a non-profit fund in Kelli’s name, to raise money for the equipment the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) would use for their groundbreaking pancreatic cancer research.

From January to April 2025, the federal government froze what Congress already approved in 2024 for cancer research funding; it affected UNMC’s cancer research funding by at least $27 million. Now, with the passing of the 2025 Republican Tax Law, which our Nebraska senators and representatives all voted to approve, more cancer research funding is being cut by millions of dollars, which means losing the funding needed for the critical research that UNMC is known for across the country.

Now, I don’t know if UNMC will be able to find the blood marker to detect pancreatic cancer sooner. I hope we can find better treatments to help patients survive longer.