Hi there! My name is Abby Stoy and I am honored to participate as a team member for 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 a candidate and am raising critical dollars in honor of my hero and cousin Olivia Stoy who is currently battling a blood cancer, T-Lymphoblastic Lymphoma.

My family over the past year has seemed to coin the phrase #StoyStrong. Liv was diagnosed with T-Lymphoblastic Lymphoma May of 2016. Her journey has since been prolonged with a bone marrow transplant, her heart has gotten bigger, and her knowledge is way beyond her years. Olivia and I have always been like best friends, our parents call us twins.  When she was diagnosed, I was heartbroken, I was confused, I felt helpless, and I hurt for her. We came to terms with it all and we have fought right beside her this whole time and now it's my turn to give back. My goal is to always leave Olivia with a smile on her face, knowing I gave all my energy to her. There is a beauty in providing normalcy to Liv’s life, I’d like to think that I give that to her. A lot of people see Olivia as a cancer patient, I still see her as she is in this picture, just a normal teenager. 

Each dollar is a vote and I could use your help! 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.

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.