Did you know someone is diagnosed with blood cancer every 3 minutes? Sixteen years ago, right before my 1st birthday, my mom was diagnosed with end stage Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. After a long battle with cancer, hospitalizations, and the endless chemotherapy my mom was given the gift of life and is able to be an integral part of my life today. Because of all the doctors and researchers at the Leukemia and Lymphoma society, my mom has continued on her journey to remission and now, she will be able to attend my high school graduation. 

My name is Niki and I am very grateful for the people who funded Hodgkin’s Lymphoma research and gifted my mom to me and my brothers. My desire to pay forward the gift of life drew me to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Student of the Year campaign. With this campaign, I hope to advocate for and fund the life saving research that can keep families together. I have been given the most amazing honor to run for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s 2021 Student of the Year (SOY) Campaign alongside my incredible team. The Student of the Year Campaign is a fundraising competition that lasts 7 weeks, from April 5th to May 22nd, and benefits the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s research team. I am one of the 15 candidate teams in the Gold Coast area of Southern California, which ranges from Encino to Santa Barbara to Santa Clarita, who are competing to raise the most funds. My team, Team TKO (Total Knockout) Cancer, and I have set the imposing, yet attainable goal of $75,000; with reaching this goal, my team will have the opportunity to link our name directly to a research portfolio and make a difference in the lives of many!

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s mission statement is to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease, myeloma, and other cancers as well as to improve the quality of life of patients and their families. LLS is at the forefront of the fight to cure cancer, being the largest funder of cancer research bringing in $1.3 billion to fund cancer treatment since their creation in 1949. Over the last decade, over 40% of all cancer treatments and drugs have come from research funded by LLS, which is now being used not only to treat blood cancers but other cancers and diseases as well, such as Breast Cancer, Multiple Sclerosis, and Alzehmir’s Disease.  

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this letter, and thank you for considering donating to this marvelous cause. And once again, thank you for supporting me, my family, and all those affected by cancers all around the world. Together we can be the answer to “knocking out” cancer. 

Thank you for visiting my fundraising page, welcome!

I encourage you to join me in supporting The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) by making a donation to my fundraising campaign. By donating to LLS, you support the many facets of LLS’s mission work from investing in groundbreaking research, providing education and support to patients, and advocating at the state and federal level for legislation to help those living with cancer. My appreciation for your support cannot be overstated — each and every dollar donated to LLS brings us closer to our goal to end blood cancer and makes an impact for cancer patients and their families.

As a global leader in the fight to end cancer, LLS is committed to doing more for blood cancer patients and families than any organization in the world. LLS’s signature fundraising campaigns drive critical support for its mission, including a nearly $1.3 billion investment in cutting edge cancer research worldwide since it was founded in 1949. Since the 1960s, survival rates for many blood cancer patients have doubled, tripled, or even quadrupled.

Every facet of LLS’s mission – research, education and support, and policy and advocacy – work in harmony to put blood cancer patients and their families first. LLS has helped millions impacted by cancer throughout its more than 70-year history, even funding breakthrough blood cancer research to advance lifesaving treatments and cures that is now helping patients with other cancers and diseases. That is why at LLS we say that beating cancer is in our blood.

Please visit my website as often as you can and share it with everyone you know who would also like to join us in the fight against cancer. Together, we have the power, the passion and the resolve to achieve a world without blood cancer. All donations are tax-deductible.

On behalf of cancer patients and their families everywhere, I sincerely thank you for your support!

For more information about LLS, please visit lls.org