MIAMI — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was joined by his wife, who is a breast cancer survivor, on Tuesday to announce that $100 million of the state's budget will go toward cancer research.
First Lady Casey DeSantis first mentioned this funding back in December during a visit to Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa.
“He wants to fund this at $100 million, that we wanna put forth for cancer research because we wanna find a cure for this damn thing," she said at the time.
Now "cancer-free" after finishing chemotherapy treatment earlier this year, the first lady spoke more about her experience during today's announcement at the University of Miami Health System.
"It’s a tough thing for a mama of three little babies to have to go through this and to always put on a happy face – you don’t want them to know anything about what’s happening to you," she said. "We have a 5-year-old, a 4-year-old and a 2-year-old, and they don’t know what’s going on. Someday they will but they’re gonna know that their dada stood by mama and we fought this."
DeSantis said the proposed funding is a 60-percent increase from what cancer research centers, like Moffitt, received in last year's budget — an increase his wife called "a game-changer."
"Florida is gonna lead the way to find a definitive cure once and for all, for all types of cancer," the first lady said.
The governor explained that the money will build on the incredible advancements being made in cancer research in Florida and provide even more support for things like clinician training, patient care and treatment research.
“Pretty much everyone in Florida is touched by this disease one way or another,” DeSantis said.
First Lady DeSantis teased a project she's working on to share "more of the good news" about people who beat cancer, explaining that hope was crucial to getting through her own cancer journey.
“Hope is alive. God is good. Never ever give up the fight, ever," she said.
You can watch the full news conference below.