BOISE -- Next Tuesday, a young cancer survivor from Idaho will testify at the nation's capitol in support of a proposed law.
And alongside 21-year-old Trevor Schaefer will be Erin Brockovich, a legal assistant who helped successfully sue a California company that was polluting a community's water supply.
Her work in the early 1990s was the subject of a movie and propelled her to stardom. Now she works an activist and fights to keep toxins out of the environment.
One of her latest projects will be to support Trevor Schaefer and the legislation named after him, called Trevor's Law.
Trevor Schaefer and Erin Brockovich -- his experience inspired legislation, her experience inspired a box office hit.
Both share a common goal to provide relief to communities that have abnormally high cases of disease.
March 29th, they'll both testify in front of the Senate Environment and Public Works committee.
"I want them to know how hard it is to go through cancer as a child when you should be outside playing with friends, learning how to ride bikes, not focusing on fighting for your life in a hospital bed," Schaefer said.
The bill is co-sponsored by Senator Mike Crapo and California's Senator Barbara Boxer. It allows federal investigators to look for sources of illness, like environmental pollutants and toxic substances.
Its passage is important to Schaefer, who grew up in Valley County, and believes toxins in the environment caused his brain cancer.
In 2009, his family hired a team of cancer researchers to take samples of their surroundings.
He's now cancer-free but he and his mom, Charlie Smith, have spent years lobbying for legislation.
And now Trevor's Law is going to make its debut.
"It has been a long road and this is, this shows that it was well worth it," Smith said. "Hopefully we'll save a lot of children's lives through this bill.”
Both she and Schaefer are encouraged that their bill is backed by the star-power of Erin Brockovich.
"For her to want to jump on board and do what's right for our future and for our children is fantastic," Schaefer said.
"I think she's going to be very, very helpful in getting this bill to move forward," said Trevor's mother Charlie Smith.
On his not-for-profit website, Schaefer is collecting signatures to present to senators.
If you would like to learn more about his petition, click here.
In 2009, the state epidemiologist said statewide statistics for brain cancer from 2002 to 2006 showed there was not a significant difference between Valley County and the rest of Idaho.
