I am honored to participate as a candidate for the 2020 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 Memory of Aunt Carole, who lost her battle with cancer, in Honor of my mom who is in remission from Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia and my Uncle Larry who is battling a rare form of Myeloma. Each dollar is a vote. The candidate team that 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.

In 2004 when my mom Diane was diagnosed with CML, the average life expectancy was 5-7 years. Only 1 in 3 survived 5 years. Thank goodness for the generosity of previous donors as a researcher funded by LLS developed a chemo pill that my mom takes. That chemo pill saved my mom's life.  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!

Alex Woods

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