03/18/2026
TESTIMONY OF TABAITHA STEWARD
Bethel, Maine
Founder, Team Hailey Hugs
Regarding the Childhood Cancer Research Tax Check-Off Bill
Public Hearing – Childhood Cancer Awareness Month
Good morning,
My name is Tabaitha Steward, and before I begin, I want to recognize two people who helped
bring this bill through the legislative process but are sadly no longer with us today—Senator Bill
Diamond and Representative Fran Head. Their support and belief in this effort meant so much,
and I will always be grateful for the work they did.
First, I would like to share a little about who I am and why this matters so deeply to me.
I am from Bethel, Maine, and in 2012 my daughter Hailey was diagnosed with the most
common childhood cancer. She was only five years old. At the time, we were told it was about
98% curable.
After three years of extremely difficult treatments, Hailey finally got to ring the survivor bell—
the bell that represents the end of treatment and being declared with no evidence of disease.
But during the summer of her eighth year of life, she relapsed. And then she relapsed again.
During those relapses, I began doing as much research as I possibly could. I looked into clinical
trials and treatment options across the country. Because of the limitations we sometimes face
here in Maine, we had to travel to access those trials. We went to Boston, Philadelphia, and
Texas, searching for anything that could help save my daughter’s life.
In larger hospitals across the country, children come from all over the world, which allows those
hospitals to conduct many clinical trials. Here in Maine, our pediatric oncology programs work
differently but just as importantly. They focus on researching each individual child—studying
their diagnosis, their treatments, and how they respond—so they can guide families toward the
best possible options, including clinical trials in other states when necessary.
Hailey did participate in some of those trials.
But unfortunately, she passed away in September of 2017.
As we sit here today discussing this bill and the proposed guidelines, we are also in Childhood
Cancer Awareness Month here in Maine, which was established through legislation and signed
by Governor Janet Mills.
March is also especially meaningful to me because it is the month Hailey was born. If she were
still here today, she would be turning 19 years old tomorrow.
So standing here today is very emotional for me.
Hailey is not here to speak for herself anymore, so I speak for her. But even though she was only
ten years old, she had an incredibly wise and caring heart. There are videos of her asking people
to keep searching for cures and to help save the children who are fighting cancer.
That is the reason I fought so hard for this bill.
The purpose of this bill was simple: to create a check-off box on Maine’s state income tax form
so people could voluntarily donate to help support childhood cancer research programs here in
Maine.
Getting this bill passed was not easy. We were sent from one committee to another. Sometimes
we were told yes, and sometimes we were told no. But eventually, in 2019, the bill passed, and
we were told that in 2020 the check-off box would appear on Maine’s state income tax forms.
However, after that, we heard nothing for five years.
During that time, the two people who fought beside me for this bill passed away. But one
person continued pushing forward, and I want to thank Representative Rachel Henderson for
continuing to advocate and help bring this issue forward again.
The original bill was very clear and very simple.
The funds collected through the tax check-off were intended to go directly to pediatric cancer
research facilities in Maine, specifically the Maine Children’s Cancer Program and the pediatric
oncology research program in Brewer.
The bill also stated that these programs must be directed by pediatric oncologists, ensuring that
the funds go directly to the professionals leading these research programs—not to hospitals or
other organizations.
The process itself was designed to be straightforward: money collected, money distributed.
The funds would be divided based on the number of children being treated at each facility. For
example, if one program treated 75% of the children, it would receive 75% of the funds.
It was meant to be simple, transparent, and focused entirely on helping the children being
treated here in Maine.
Recently, language has been added regarding clinical trials, but clinical trials were never the
focus of this bill.
In Maine, our programs research clinical trials and help families access them, but most clinical
trials actually take place outside the state. Families often have to travel to those larger hospitals
to participate.
Our programs here in Maine still play a critical role. They research the child’s diagnosis, guide
families through treatment options, and help determine which clinical trials may offer the best
chance.
Adding requirements related to conducting clinical trials could unintentionally harm these
programs because that was never the purpose of this legislation.
This bill was always about supporting the pediatric oncology research programs here in Maine
that care for our children and help families navigate some of the most difficult moments of their
lives.
I do support the idea of a committee to help oversee this process and ensure the funds go
exactly where they were intended. However, I strongly believe the original purpose of the bill
should remain unchanged.
I also believe that parents should have a seat on that committee, because this affects our
children and our families. Parents bring a perspective that is essential.
Even though Hailey is no longer here, I continue fighting in her honor through the organization
she started when she was only eight years old, called Team Hailey Hugs.
Through Team Hailey Hugs, we continue to support children and families who are facing
childhood cancer. It is a way to keep her spirit alive and to continue the mission she cared so
deeply about.
Hailey believed that every child fighting cancer deserved a chance. She believed people should
keep searching for cures and never stop helping these children.
Tomorrow my daughter would have turned 19 years old.
I can’t give her that birthday—but I can keep fighting for the children who still have the chance
to reach theirs.
Thank you.
