The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society has one goal: a world without blood cancers. As this incredible nonprofit strives for that goal, there are three pillars to its involvement:n n

Research
Last year alone, LLS put nearly $74,000,000 into cutting-edge research projects. Such projects include Beat AML®, a collaborative clinical trial convening researchers, cancer centers, pharmaceutical companies, and the FDA to test new therapies for Acute Myeloid Leukemia, or AML. The trial enrolls newly diagnosed patients who are 60+ years of age since these patients are unable to tolerate standard chemotherapy and have few other options.

New cancer therapies approved by the FDA in 2017 include Kymriah™, Vyxeos™, and Yescarta™. LLS had direct financial involvement in the development of all three of these!

Advocacy
LLS advocates are active in addressing issues of importance to blood cancer patients. Volunteers have successfully pushed legeslation in many states that require insurers to continue routine health care coverage while patients are in clinical trials. LLS advocates are also encouraging insurance parity so that oral drugs, which are typically covered under the “pharmacy benefit” of many health insurance policies, are covered the same as the more generous “medical benefit” for injected drugs.  Over 100,000 advocates throughout the nation work with regulatory bodies (i.e., FDA) and state and federal legislatures to drive policies that accelerate the development and approval of innovative treatments and ensure that patients have access to quality, affordable, coordinated care.

Patient Support
LLS is committed to providing information, resources, and support to those affected by blood cancers. The Information Resource Center (IRC) offers advice and support from 9am to 9pm from Information Specialists- master’s level oncology social workers, nurses, and health educators. Last year, IRC specialists fielded over 62,000 inquiries and performed more than 6,000 clinical trial searches using the IRC’s TrialCheck tool.

The Patti Robinson Kauffman First Connection Program is a peer mentor support program through which newly diagnosed patients can be connected with a trained peer volunteer who has gone through a similar experience with the same disease. This program is available to patients, caregivers, and family members. LLS also supports patients by offering online chats and family support groups.

In addition to this emotional and informational assistance, LLS offers financial assistance toward the costs of insurance copayments, insurance premium costs for prescription drugs, and/or the heavy expenses associated with traveling to their health care providers for blood cancer related treatments.

LLS has been working nonstop in the best interests of blood cancer patients since it was founded in 1949. Born out of a family’s grief when their 16-year-old son succumbed to leukemia, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society has since then invested over $1 billion in groundbreaking research, and is now the leading source of free blood cancer information, education, and patient support.

Please donate today to further the admirable and lofty goal of finding a cure. I hope that one day soon we can all wake up and find ourselves in a world without blood cancers. 

I am thrilled 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 (LLS). We are raising money in honor of Alyssa Howell, a young woman who was diagnosed at 13 with Acute Myeloid Leukemia. Now 18 years old, she has volunteered to share her story in the hopes that she can inspire others to donate to an organization that was so helpful to her during her battle with blood cancer. Each dollar you donate is a vote. The candidate whose team raises the most money at the end of the seven weeks is named Student 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.

LLS has put over 1.3 BILLION dollars into blood cancer research. 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.

My team's name is Champions of Hope. We believe that we can help to bring hope to those who need it the most-- but we need your help!

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.