Friends and Family, 

Cancer has been a relevant topic in my life ever since I can remember. Every night before bed when I was little, my mom would tell me one memory of her mom, my Grandma Karen, who died from Acute Myelogenous Leukemia before I was even born. At the age of 3, I had a potentially cancerous mole removed from my head and have a scar that is a constant reminder. I supported my mom through the loss of her Aunt Colleen who passed away due to Chronic Myelomonocytic Leukemia when I was 10. In the past few weeks,  my grandpa who is on my fundraising team just found out that his Follicular Lymphoma has relapsed.  These are the important people in my life who have been affected by cancer and motivate me to try to make a difference. 

I have the pleasure of being nominated as a 2021 Student of the Year candidate for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS SOY).  LLS is the largest funder of cutting edge research to find a cure for blood-borne cancers as well as providing financial and emotional support to patients as they undergo treatments. . The Student of the Year program is a seven-week long fundraiser starting January 21st in which my team, Giving for Good,  and I are working to reach a fundraising goal of $65,000. For this to be possible, we need YOUR help so we can say we were a part of the generation that helped fund necessary research and helped support the patients and families, all while going through a pandemic at the same time!

Starting in 1949, LLS has invested $1.3 billion into cancer research allowing them to make breakthroughs in immunotherapy and fund 58 of 68 FDA approved blood-borne cancer treatments.  Most importantly, they offer care, compassion and love for the patients and families at a time in their lives they most need it.  For this year's fundraiser, our Honored Hero is Kendall Wynne who was diagnosed with  Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia  in 2010 with a relapse in 2019 at which time she underwent a stem cell transplant. While  Kendall is the Honored Hero who motivates and inspires everyone participating in the fundraiser this year,  my personal honored hero is my grandpa, Pop, who has helped shape me into the person I am today and will always have my back. By donating, you are not only helping Kendall, but all families, caregivers, patients and future generations that cancer affects.

I am writing today to ask for your support of our team by making a generous donation to LLS through my fundraising website: https://events.lls.org/in/indianasoy21/kfecht. Any donations made are 100% tax deductible and will help us be one step closer to our goal.

I am more passionate than ever about finding a cure and hope you can fight with me to raise $65,000.  All funds received are helping those who can’t fight for themselves. 

With Gratitude,

Karen Fecht

For more information about LLS, please visit lls.org