"My reason for doing this is quite personal, for I am a blood cancer survivor. Four years ago I was diagnosed with Myelodysplastic Syndrome and was told a bone marrow transplant would give me the best chance of surviving this awful disease. Luckily for me, my brother, John Andreoli, was a perfect bone marrow match, and he quickly agreed to donate his marrow. Once my chemotherapy and radiation were completed, I received my brother’s life saving gift of bone marrow and twelve days later was on the road to recovery! On June 12, 2019, I will celebrate my fourth year in remission, or as I like to call it, “my manniversary”!!!" 

Hi! My name is Alexis McKeown and I am a junior at Padua Academy. A little bit about myself is that I love art, summer, dogs, and swimming. Currently, I swim on the Padua Academy Swim Team and I also play volleyball for St. John the Beloved's Senior League. I love the shows The Office and Grey's Anatomy and my favorite movie is The Greatest Showman. My favorite color is yellow and my favorite animals are dolphins.

The reason I got involved with this campaign is because my mom was diagnosed with Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS) in 2015. MDS is an early stage of leukemia where something disrupts the production of blood cells. She was lucky that her brother was a bone marrow match and agreed to donate his stem cells to help her win her fight against cancer. She had her transplant in the Summer of 2015 and she is now in her third year of remission and is doing better than ever! Now, she is helping me with my campaign to promote awareness, raise money, and reach my goal.

I am honored to participate in the 2019 Students of the Year program, a seven-week initiative in which select high school students from around the country participate in a fundraising competition to benefit The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. I am proud to be raising critical dollars in honor of a young patient hero who is currently battling or is in remission from a blood cancer. Each dollar is a vote. The candidate team that raises the most money at the end of the seven weeks is named Student(s) of the Year. Our mission is to not only raise the most money but also to bring attention to blood cancers like leukemia, which is the most common form of cancer in children and teens.

Since the early 1960s, five-year survival rates for many blood cancer patients have doubled, tripled or even quadrupled. And 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.

We really are changing the face of blood cancer!

All donations are greatly appreciated and are tax deductible. They'll 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.

Please visit our website often and bring friends who would also like to donate!

On behalf of blood cancer patients everywhere, thank you for your support!

For more information about LLS, please visit www.lls.org.