My name is Jonathan Faust, I’m a  junior at O’Fallon Township High School. I’m excited to be part of the Student of the Year campaign in memory of my little brother.  The Student of the Year program is a seven-week initiative in which select high school students from around the country participate in a fundraising competition to benefit The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.  Each dollar raised is vote.  The candidate whose team raises the most money by the end of the campaign will be named Student of the Year.  My little brother, Carter. was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) on December 21, 2009. This single day would redefine everything for my family. We spent the next three years in and out of the hospital with Carter; everyday discovering new issues and fixing the last. It was during those three years that my family and I would come in contact with doctors, nurses, and other staff fighting to save my brother and others like him. It was also during that time we first learned about the mission of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.  My experiences during those difficult years inspire me to do my part to help others who are in situation similar to my brother. Carter lost his battle with Leukemia on October 22, 2012. Today I am working with LLS to raise money in hopes that no one has to go through what my family experienced.

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 myself, my family, and blood cancer patients everywhere, I thank you for your support!

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