Hello ,

         My name is Emily Rivera and I am writing to you because I need your help. I’m on a quest to find a cure for cancer. Let me tell you the reasons in which I’m doing this. As all of us have suffered a loss of a loved one from cancer. I have lost people very dear to me. When I was only four years old, my godfather “Nino Chuy” lost his long battle to cancer and because I was young I didn’t remember too much about him. I do remember staying over at his house at night while he would sing songs around the campfire while I ate s’mores. He was my dad’s best friend and he was an amazing guy and cancer stole any beautiful moments that I could’ve had with him today. Like him cancer has taken many other loved ones from me and from my family. I also have other very dear people to me that are currently battling cancer. I cannot just stand by and do nothing about it while my family members with this disease suffer the way they do. 
 

         I have graciously been nominated for this spectacular event called Student of the Year 2020 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Students of the Year is a 7 week fundraising competition where every dollar raised counts as a vote for me as the Student of the Year! I have been very close to the mission of LLS through Team in Training since I was three years old because my dad has been a coach for eleven years. Through this time, I have met many amazing people that are part of the mission and I have firsthand witnessed miracles of the fruits of the hard work of the fundraising for LLS. Some of these examples include our teammates Virginia Garner and Tyler Cordova, who are alive now thanks to the research funded by Team in Training. The mission of LLS is to cure Leukemia, Lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease, and Myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families. The funds raised also ensure access to financial aid for blood cancer patients. Blood cancers affect children in large numbers. The survival rate for children with the most commonly diagnosed Leukemia was 3% in the 1970’s.  With the research and medical treatments funded by LLS, today’s survival rate surpasses 90%. Also, many LLS supported therapies not only help blood cancer patients but are helping patients with other cancers and serious diseases. In fact, drugs first approved for blood cancers are now approved to treat patients with stomach cancers, skin cancers, and autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis. But, we still have work to do.

         I am now humbly asking you to join me in my mission to wipe out blood cancers once and for all by making a tax-deductible donation to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. This will not only support LLS-funded research but will help provide critical information and support for patients, and support advocacy for laws to ensure patients can access the care and treatments they need. My personal goal is to raise $50,000 in the seven weeks from January 16^th to March 6^th. Please visit our website often and bring friends who would also like to donate! No donation is too small or too big and I am extremely grateful in advance for your generosity.

With much appreciation,

 Emily Rivera