STAND TALL FOR KJ MWOY Fundraising Page!

Welcome To My "STAND TALL FOR KJ" Fundraising Page

Each year the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) asks a young blood cancer survivor to act as Boy of the Year in order to help their organization beat blood cancers by raising awareness, money, and volunteering their time. I am honored to say I was asked by LLS to serve as the 2015 Boy of the Year, and I have graciously accepted.

The battle to beat blood cancer is very important to me because I was diagnosed with a rare form of Leukemia (Philadelphia Positive ALL) in December 13, 2011 at the age of 9. I have recently finished three long and difficult years of chemotherapy, with many more downs than ups but in just a few short months, I will finally be done with all of my treatments and will be able to begin to rebound to a healthy 12 year old. While I will still need to be monitored very closely for years to come, I have high hopes that I have seen the last of my cancer and that better days lie ahead.

My Mom and Dad (Tammy and Kevin) coined a phrase shortly after I was diagnosed “Stand Tall for KJ” meaning Saying Temporary And Necessary Daily To Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia....this phrase helped us through our journey so now we want to “Stand Tall” for all the other patients out there that need help just as I did.

I ask that you please join me in my efforts to raise awareness and funds by supporting LLS by making a donation to my fundraising campaign. As Boy of the Year, I am not obligated to raise funds but I have chosen to do this so I can help give back to the community and help save lives today!

Here are some great facts about LLS:

* LLS's continued advancements over the years are responsible for the blood cancer survival rate doubling and tripling; in some cases, the survival rate has even quadrupled.

* LLS have funded drugs like Gleevec, Arinza, Tasigna, Zolinza and Sprycel (the trade name for the chemotherapy Dasatinib, WHICH IS THE DRUG THAT HELPED SAVE MY LIFE)!!

* Many LLS supported therapies not only help blood cancer patients but are now used to treat patients with rare forms of stomach and skin cancers. They're even being tested in clinical trials for patients with a range of cancers including lung, brain, breast, pancreatic and prostate cancers. LLS funded drugs that are listed above are now being tested for patients with other non-cancerous diseases like Diabetes, Rheumatoid Arthritis and Multiple Sclerosis.

We really are changing the face of blood cancers!

All donations are greatly appreciated and are tax deductible. They'll not only support LLS research but patient services, advocacy, public and professional education, and community services as well.

I set a personal goal of $12,000 simply because I am 12 and each zero represents the 3 of us in my family! I am so blessed and thankful to be able to be here today and to continue to Stand Tall each day for all the fighters out there that need our help. So please visit my website often: https://www.lls.org/pages/ri/boygirl2015/kricci, donate on-line today and also please share with your friends who would like to help me Stand Tall! If you prefer you can also donate by check, please make checks payable to LLS and please be sure to add “Stand Tall for KJ” in the memo field or it will not count as part of my fundraising total. Mail checks to the address below. All checks must be received no later than April 24^th.