S.C. woman’s cancer fight impacted by proposed federal funding cuts

Ashley Listrom | 12.4.25

Chrissy Derrick, a mother of three battling a rare sarcoma cancer, has lost access to potential life-saving treatments due to proposed federal budget cuts.

Chrissy said she was holding onto hope for a clinical trial through the National Institutes of Health (NIH), but proposed budget cuts have blocked her access to new treatments as her cancer continues to spread rapidly.

“It’s progressing. Pretty bad,” Chrissy said.

Her husband, Mickey Derrick, said the cancer has reached multiple areas of her body.

“The cancer has reached her spinal fluids. So it’s now in her chest, her spine, her pelvis, spinal fluid,” Mickey said.

Chrissy said she started having chest pains in January while pregnant with her third child. Her husband said it took over 50 visits to the emergency room and genetic testing on their unborn child before they received her full cancer diagnosis in March.

“She was carrying two lives at one point. I mean, it was her life and our unborn son,” Mickey said.

Due to her rare form of cancer, the family had been in contact with the NIH.

“She originally went to the NIH back in February. She got seen up there,” Mickey said.

Since then, her new treatment options have been dissolved. The government’s proposed budget for next year cuts around 37 percent of funding, or $2.7 billion, to the National Cancer Institute, the NIH’s lead agency for cancer research.

The cuts have left the family without options as the cancer spreads rapidly through her body.

“She just recently got out of the hospital. This last visit, we got some pretty bad news as far as where the cancer is at and how far it’s progressed,” Mickey said.

With the hope of new treatment options fading, the Derricks decided to celebrate Christmas early with their family and friends. On Friday, the family gathered to open gifts and visit with each other.

“Nobody should have to go through something like that,” Mickey said. “I think it should be taken a little more serious.”

Chrissy said she will continue to fight cancer for her children. The family is clinging to hope for a cure in the time she has left.

You can follow along the Derricks’ journey by clicking here.