Gulf Breeze High School Junior, Carolyn Hendrix, a childhood cancer survivor and longtime advocate for pediatric cancer research, traveled to Washington, D.C. on September 28th, 2025, after being selected by the Rally Foundation to represent the organization at a White House executive order signing focused on childhood cancer. 

Carolyn learned of the invitation during the school day.

“My mom messaged me when I was on my way to 3rd period and told me she needed to speak to me urgently,” she says. When she met her mom in the parking lot, she was told Rally wanted her to attend the White House event and that she “could not tell anyone.” 

The executive order, signed on September 30th during Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, addressed funding and research for pediatric cancers, including the use of advanced technologies to improve treatment. 

Carolyn described walking into the room as “pretty nerve-wracking,” explaining, “I had been seeing this guy on TV for the last 10 years.”

Her nerves faded quickly. “When I fully processed that he was just another old guy in the room, it was fine,” she says. 

Before entering the Oval Office, she spent nearly an hour in the Roosevelt Room with cabinet members and high-level White House staff.

“We made really important relationships and have been in contact with them since,” Carolyn says. “They said that they wanted to do more to help, and we are working on making that a reality.” 

During the ceremony, Carolyn delivered remarks beside the President. “It was unreal,” she says. “Even though I had memorized my speech, I was nervous. But when I saw that all the cabinet members were reading off of note cards, it made me feel a lot better.” 

Carolyn emphasized the urgency of pediatric cancer funding. “Childhood cancer is the #1 disease killer of kids in America,” she says. Many treatments used today were “made in the 60s or designed for adult cancers,” which children’s developing bodies often cannot tolerate, sometimes leading to long-term complications or secondary cancers. 

She also highlighted research funding losses. “At the beginning of Trump’s presidency, he took away $2.7 billion from the National Cancer Institute. Four percent of that went to the kids,” she says. “While we wish we got more than 4%, that is still a huge sum of money we lost. So when given the chance to get a sum of that back, we were all in.” 

Her goal during her speech was to clearly communicate the human impact of underfunding. “More funding gives kids the opportunity to grow up and chase their dreams,” Carolyn says. “This is something so many kids lost out on because of this horrible disease.” 

Although diagnosed at age four, Carolyn says her motivation that day came from the friends she lost. “What really fueled me was the memory of all my friends who lost their battles,” she says. “It was for their parents who finally got to leave the hospital, but the back seat was empty on the car ride home. And it was for the siblings who must stare at the empty chair on the other side of the dinner table every day.” 

Carolyn has extensive public-speaking experience. “I have spoken at many Rally events telling my story and spreading awareness,” she says. Participation in the school’s theatre program has also helped her confidence. 

Today, she remains heavily involved in advocacy. “I participate in Rally Gulf Coast events all the time and am president of Rally Club here at GBHS,” she says. 

Following the signing, Carolyn received a private tour of the White House. Because she was not allowed to tell anyone beforehand, the reaction afterward was immediate. 

“Everyone was very surprised,” she says, “I got so many nice messages, and my teachers were all very proud.”