Dear Friend, 

I have been given the opportunity of a lifetime to help others. Each year, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) launches its Student Visionaries of the Year fundraising campaign, and I was honored to be nominated this year as a candidate. 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 February 29 - April 19, 2024, our team, Cash Out Cancer, has a goal to raise $200,000 which will go directly to LLS in support of its longstanding goal: a world without blood cancers.  If we raise (dollar goal over $50K), we can link our team's name to an LLS-funded research portfolio to honor our efforts to help people with blood cancers.  

I am joining the fight for all people affected by cancer. My family has battled over eight different types of cancers. With this comes survivors, those who are still in treatment, and those who have lost lives due to this cruel disease. Although none of those were blood cancers, the LLS has made an impact in the lives of my family members by investing $1.5 billion in cancer research that helps more than just blood cancer patients. This makes them the largest nonprofit organization funding research for all types of blood cancers. 

The LLS helped advance 55 of the 65 blood cancer treatment options approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) since 2017 to date. Furthermore, many of these LLS-supported therapies not only help blood cancer patients but are now approved to treat patients with other types of cancer like breast, liver, colon cancer, and noncancerous diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune diseases.   

Seeing my grandparents and great grandparents face this disease in many forms, and some losing their lives, is something no family should have to face. This is why I need to raise as much money as possible for the LLS. The LLS pillar of Research is what provides cancer research to help create a world without blood cancer and uncovers the cure for all cancers. 

The pillar of research is currently investigating treatments for children with blood cancers individually, as each child is unique. This project is known as the Dare to Dream project, which aims to provide treatment to as many children as possible. One significant achievement of this project is the development of the LLS PedAL (pediatric acute leukemia) Master Clinical Trial for Acute Leukemias, a groundbreaking approach that tailor's treatment to each patient's specific biology. My motivation to raise funds intensifies because improving the quality of life for every child with blood cancer is at the core of LLS's research, which can benefit patients worldwide. 

Blood cancer can affect individuals of all ages, including teenagers like Bekah. Bekah, the honored hero for LLS in 2024, is currently a high school sophomore in the fifth and final stage of her treatment journey. Witnessing teenagers like Bekah facing this disease firsthand fuels my passion for fundraising and creating a community that nurtures faith, love, and support for the courageous individuals battling this illness. 

This is an organization that is making an impact with the dollars it raises, and I am 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 1682 E Banwell Lane Fresno, CA 93730. Please note, Cash Out Cancer in the memo section of the check.  

I thank you in advance for supporting this incredible need. I will keep you posted on how the campaign goes. For now, I am grateful for your friendship and support.  

  
Sincerely,  

Cashel Wilson 

2024 Student Visionary of the Year Candidate  

  
P.S. Does your company have a matching gifts program that might be willing to match your donation?