Dear Friends and Family, 

I have been given the opportunity of a lifetime to help others by raising money with The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) along with my teammates from Bakersfield Christian High School. We are reaching out about an issue that is dear to our community - fighting Leukemia and providing support and resources to those who are facing the disease. Each year, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) launches its Student of the Year fundraising campaign, and I was honored to join this year’s efforts. I am writing today to ask for your support of LLS’s mission in its efforts to find cures for blood cancers and to assist patients and families as they battle this disease. 

From March 23- May 14th, our team goal is to raise $100,000 which will go directly to LLS in support of its longstanding goal: a world without blood cancers.  If we raise $100,000 with your help,  we can link our team name to an LLS-funded research portfolio to honor our efforts to help people with blood cancers. 

Like many of you, I have witnessed first-hand the debilitating effects that leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease, and myeloma can have on those who suffer from these blood cancers, and on the friends and family who care for and nurture their loved ones. There are countless children who are put under excruciating treatment everyday, who can only hope to one day be back on the playground with their friends. Our very own boys and girls of the year: Claire, GG , JJ, and Mateo are perfect examples of the persevering and hopeful mindsets we need to take on to battle this chronic disease. Claire, who now enjoys visiting children in the hospital and someday wants to be a doctor, is in remission after going through 6 rounds of chemotherapy for lymphoma. Mateo, aka the "Beast" does not let his illness get in the way of playing baseball, having fun and just being a kid. He is currently recovering from a bone marrow transplant from his older brother, after being in treatment for leukemia for most of his life.  

There are many reasons to be proud to support LLS’s efforts. For instance, approximately 40% of new cancer therapies approved by the FDA between 2000 and 2018 were first approved for blood cancer patients. And many of these LLS - supported therapies not only help blood cancer patients but are now approved to treat patients with rare forms of stomach and skin cancers, and noncancerous diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune diseases. They’re even being tested in clinical trials for patients with a range of cancers including lung, bran, breast, pancreatic and prostate cancers, and noncancerous diseases such as diabetes and lupus. 

This is an organization that is making an impact with the dollars it raises, and I’m proud to be associated with LLS. This is where you come in. 

You can make a donation in any amount and mail a check payable to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society to 2608 Tiverton Dr, Bakersfield, CA, 93311. Please note, Sarah Garas in the memo section of the check.

You can also make an online donation here on my fundraising page!

I thank you in advance for supporting this incredible need. I’ll keep you posted on how the campaign goes. For now, I am grateful for your friendship and support through our journey of eradicating cancer! 

Sincerely,

Sarah Garas.