An Olive Branch cancer survivor took her fight to Washington this month. Ashleigh Parker, the founder of the local advocacy group DeSoto Hope, joined the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) delegation on Capitol Hill. She asked Mississippi’s congressional delegation to support more federal cancer research funding and a bill that would open clinical trials to more rural and low-income patients.
Olive Branch Cancer Survivor Meets Mississippi Lawmakers
Parker was one of more than 750 patients, survivors and advocates from all 50 states who took part in ACS CAN’s annual leadership summit and Lobby Day in September, according to the DeSoto Times-Tribune. While in Washington, she met with:
U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith
U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker
U.S. Rep. Trent Kelly
Her message to each office was that where a patient lives should not decide whether they can reach the newest treatments. “We don’t really have any clinical trials in Mississippi,” Parker told the Times-Tribune. “That’s life or death.”
What the Clinical Trial Modernization Act Would Do
The main bill on Parker’s agenda was the Clinical Trial Modernization Act, bipartisan legislation backed by ACS CAN. According to ACS CAN, the bill would let clinical trial sponsors help patients pay the costs that often keep them out of studies, including:
Medical cost-sharing such as copays
Travel, parking and lodging
Food and other non-medical expenses tied to taking part
The House version was introduced in May 2025, and a Senate version followed in April 2026, ACS CAN says. Nearly 200 patient advocacy and health care groups have signed a letter urging the Senate to pass it.
For families in DeSoto County and across rural Mississippi, those costs add up fast. Many trials are run at large academic cancer centers hundreds of miles away, so patients who want to join one may face repeated trips, hotel stays and time off work.
A Personal Fight That Became a Mission
Parker speaks from experience. She was diagnosed with Stage 4 colorectal cancer in 2019 at age 48 and was treated at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, far from home. She has credited faith with carrying her through, telling the Times-Tribune, “God saved me for a reason.”
Since then she has become one of DeSoto County’s best-known cancer advocates. Through DeSoto Hope she has organized community events such as Light Up the Lake for cancer fighters and survivors. At the state level, she helped push for Jill’s Law, which the Mississippi Legislature sent to the governor earlier this year.
How DeSoto County Residents Can Get Involved
Residents who want to weigh in on cancer research funding or the Clinical Trial Modernization Act can contact the offices of Sen. Hyde-Smith, Sen. Wicker or Rep. Kelly directly. ACS CAN also offers volunteer and advocacy opportunities for patients, survivors and caregivers through its website, fightcancer.org.
Patients who want to look for trials that fit their diagnosis can search ClinicalTrials.gov or ask their oncologist about studies at regional cancer centers.
