Law Student Diego Morris Beat Cancer, Now Fights for Others

Diego Morris still remembers what it was like to be 11 years old, playing baseball in Arizona until a sudden leg pain changed everything. The diagnosis was osteosarcoma, a rare and aggressive bone cancer that put him in a race against time.

Standard treatments failed. His family found a promising immunotherapy that had been tested in the United States but wasn't FDA-approved, leaving them with an impossible choice: stay home and hope, or fly to London to fight.

Diego chose to fight. He boarded a plane to England, underwent the experimental treatment combined with chemotherapy, and beat the cancer. He returned to Arizona cancer-free, but the experience gave him a new mission.

At just 13 years old, Diego started testifying before lawmakers across the country. He spent five years traveling and speaking about Right to Try legislation, which gives terminally ill patients access to experimental treatments without waiting for federal approval. His advocacy helped push the federal Right to Try law across the finish line in 2018.

Now a second-year law student at Arizona State University, Diego shared his story at the Federalist Society's Student Symposium in Phoenix last weekend. He spoke on a panel about medical liberty, turning abstract legal questions into something deeply personal.

Diego isn't finished yet. He's now focused on expanding Right to Try to cover personalized medicine tailored to each patient's genetic profile. "This new version of Right to Try is an extension of the hope that Right to Try initially gave to families like mine," he told the audience.

Christina Sandefur from the Goldwater Institute put the stakes in perspective. Only about 3 percent of critically ill patients can access clinical trials, she explained, leaving the vast majority waiting for treatments that may never come in time.

Why This Inspires

Diego's journey from terrified 11-year-old patient to passionate advocate shows how personal experience can drive real change. He didn't just survive cancer. He turned his second chance into a lifelong fight to help others facing the same impossible choices his family faced.

The question he's asking lawmakers now is simple but profound: who should decide what risks a dying patient can take? For Diego, the answer is clear. If you own your own life, you should have the right to make your own medical decisions, even risky ones.

His story proves that hope, combined with action, can move mountains and change laws.