Dear family and friends,

I am excited to announce that I have been nominated for the 2019 student of the year campaign in support of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS). Each year LLS holds a 7 week campaign for local high school students to help raise money for LLS. This year’s campaign will run from January 9th through February 22nd.

I accepted this nomination because in 2014, my brother Chris was diagnosed with Leukemia at just 16. It was a very heartbreaking time for me and my family and very unexpected. In November of 2018 he relapsed. We are having to go through everything all over again. A family member, Megan Miller, introduced me to LLS and that was how I was nominated. I am very excited to be a part of this campaign because I live in Taft and it is a very small local town and to be able to involve it in something so important to other people and to me means a lot.

LLS’s mission is to find a cure for Leukemia, Lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and Myeloma and to help the life of patients and their families. LLS funded 15 of 18 FDA approved treatments in 2017. Approximately 40% of the new cancer therapies approved by the FDA are for blood cancer and LLS funded more than 60% of those therapies. LLS has also been trying to find a cure and helping with blood cancer since 1949 and has invested more than $1.2 billion in research since then. Treatments for blood cancer through LLS research can often lead to treatments for other cancers such as lung, prostate, testicular and skin. My goal is to make it to $50,000 by February 22nd. You may be thinking I am crazy but I think it is very possible. My reasoning for that number is because if I raise that much money it will go to establish a research grant for blood cancer in my brother Chris’ name.

Here is where you can come in to help. You can donate directly to this campaign by sending a check made out to LLS, sent to 470 Quail Ct. Taft, Ca 93268. Another option is to donate online by visiting my personal fundraising website https://events.lls.org/cca/bakersfieldsoy19/bmeyers it will make a great impact. If you want to do more than just donate you can share my story and my website to help raise even more. I would appreciate it deeply. It is important to know that your donation is going towards helping local cancer fighters like my brother and funds impactful research. If you have any questions regarding my campaign or LLS you can email me at breemeyers14@gmail.com . Thank you very much for your time. Let’s kick cancer’s butt!

- Bree Meyers