This op-ed was originally published in the Manchester Union Leader June 21, 2025.
New Hampshire is quietly leading the nation in a heartbreaking category: childhood cancer. In 2018, the CDC reported our state had the highest pediatric cancer rate in the country — 206 cases per million children over the 11-year reporting period and more than 800 young lives affected.
Across the U.S., pediatric cancer rates are 174 per million children. The Granite State’s childhood cancer rate is 18% higher than this national norm. While the Northeast in general has high pediatric cancer rates compared to the nation, ours is still 9% higher.
Not every Northeastern state has a high childhood cancer rate. In Vermont, the rate is 25% lower than ours with only 164 per million children. Vermont and New Hampshire have ethnically similar populations, suggesting that perhaps 200 of our own pediatric cancer cases each decade are caused by carcinogens here in New Hampshire.
In 2022, one epidemiologist at Dartmouth attempted to throw cold water on the claim that the Granite State is the pediatric cancer capital. Her report emphasized that cancer rates are high across the entire Northeast — and are generally highest in White children. New Hampshire media outlets, such as the Concord Monitor, seized on this report, falsely implying that the CDC’s findings had been debunked. Then-Governor Chris Sununu even picked up this narrative, apparently stating he did not believe that New Hampshire led the nation in childhood cancer.
In reality, the report — while emphasizing that the Northeast has a high average rate of pediatric cancer — never actually denied that New Hampshire is the leader. Additionally, if our childhood cancer rate is simply caused by the genetics of White people, then Vermont, the whitest state in America, shouldn’t have a 25% lower pediatric cancer rate than ours.
These aren’t just statistics. In the last few years, four children I knew from my own church community died of cancer. I’ve prayed with their families, witnessed their bravery, their suffering, and their loss. And I’ve walked with parents who would have done anything to give their children a chance at healing.
When you experience that kind of heartbreak, you don’t just grieve — you seek solutions. You want to understand what’s causing these pediatric cancer clusters. You want families to have access to every ethical treatment available — not roadblocks or red tape.
When we talk about being a pro-family state, this is exactly the kind of issue that should rally us. We need to face these numbers, ask tough questions about root causes, and push for bold, creative solutions. Are environmental carcinogens part of the story? Are we doing enough to support prevention, early detection, and access to cutting-edge treatment?
As Christians, we are called to care for the sick, to uphold the dignity of life, and to be agents of healing. Our faith does not ask us to accept suffering when ethical tools for treatment exist. Jesus told his disciples, when asked why a man was born blind, “This happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him” (John 9:3, NIV). That same mindset drives many Christians today to support medical innovation, compassion in care, and the search for answers.
Some lawmakers are stepping up. Rep. Lisa Mazur of Goffstown introduced legislation this session to help make New Hampshire the most welcoming jurisdiction in the country for families seeking experimental treatments. Given our proximity to Boston — one of the world’s top hubs for medical research — this is a promising and common-sense step.
Legislators from both parties have helped to lead the fight. Back in 2014, New Hampshire legislator and scientist Rep. Mindi Messmer personally identified a shocking pediatric double cancer cluster in the Seacoast area — and a government investigation confirmed her findings. Messmer’s work led to the creation of a Commission to Study Environmentally-Triggered Chronic Illness, which concluded its work in 2018. The commission explored the presence of arsenic, PFAs, and other contaminants in drinking water across our state.
In 2019, the legislature reestablished the commission, directing it to prepare annual interim reports from 2020 until 2029. Unfortunately, these annual reports, which are not readily available to the public on any government website, have been completely ignored by media and the legislature for four years.
We need leaders who will be vigilant in identifying cancer risks, bold in supporting family-centered health policies, and proactive in enabling access to care. That includes removing red tape that prevents patients from trying promising treatments, vigilantly searching for possible environmental carcinogens that may explain this tragedy, and working to make us the best state to raise a family.
Let’s respond to this horrific reality not with despair but with faith and action. Let’s fight for our children and for all those we love who are battling serious illness with every ethical tool available. Give New Hampshire children the hope and help they deserve.
