Today more than a million Americans are fighting a daily battle with blood cancers and every 4 minutes another person unwilling joins the fight. I have been given the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to join the battle and help those living with blood cancers. The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) has nominated me as a candidate in their “Student of the Year” fundraising challenge, and I could not be more excited to make a difference in the lives of patients across the country. I am proud to lead my campaign team and work towards our goal to raise $50,000 during the next 7 weeks - from January 16th to March 6th. 

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society is the largest donor to blood cancer research in the nation. I am honoring those who have battled blood cancers and raising money that will go directly to LLS in support of its longstanding mission to find a cure and improve the quality of life of patients and their families. Along with my team, I will work to increase awareness about the impact of blood cancers and the cutting edge treatments that are currently being researched, as well as inspire others to join the fight to find a cure.

While each story is moving, my friend Gabby Galino’s experience of fighting blood cancer serves as a vibrant example of the courageous, unwavering, and unyielding fight against these diseases. As a 13 year old, Gabby was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma. She was diagnosed in early October and the doctors said that her disease was very treatable and they had a plan to cure her. She went under one round of Chemotherapy and all was going as planned. A few days after her first round of Chemo she was taken back to the hospital because she had an infection in her abdomen. She was put on life support for about a month, so her body could then hopefully recover. After taken off life support she developed another infection called Gangrene. Gabby had 6 surgeries in 2 weeks to try and clear this infection out. She is currently trying to recover and hoping nothing else can go wrong. Cancer is very unpredictable and terrifying for people to go through, but Gabby is still fighting for her life.

Leukemia still causes more deaths than any other cancer among children under the age of 20. My campaign provides an opportunity to support the critical work of LLS in fighting these diseases. The deadline for receiving contributions is February 27th. Please note: your donations are tax deductible. Aside from donations, we would love to hear from you or someone you know who would be willing to donate goods or services for auction items, sponsorships, ads, or other possible fundraising opportunities.  Large or small, your contribution to this worthy effort will be greatly appreciated.

Help be part of the cure and help my team compete in the first-ever Student of the Year campaign.  .