Representing Angola High School for the 2024 campaign are juniors, Evelyn Stoy and Jedidiah Mortorff. Their team, “Our Story”, joins a competitive field of fourteen other teams in the area who are competing to raise the most money during the seven week contest and vying for the title of “Student Visionary of the Year.” Their connection with cancer is very personal. Jed's great-grandpa was diagnosed with Leukemia in the 1980's and took part in experimental treatments that were unsuccessful and very painful. However, through it all, he stayed positive and was determined to fight, saying that his life might not be saved, but by taking part in the treatments, he could help others in the future. He passed before Jed ever got to meet him, but Jed was very close with his great-grandma who proudly shared the stories with him.
Evelyn's sister, Olivia Stoy, is just one of those "future" people that Jed's grandfather was fighting for. In 2016, Evelyn's sister Olivia was diagnosed with T-Lymphoblastic Lymphoma. This diagnosis changed her and her families' lives forever. Through the ups and downs of treatment, getting the cancer into remission, and a re-diagnosis, Olivia eventually took part in a bone marrow transplant which saved her life. Evelyn watched her sister fight for her life each and every day, and now looking back, it is a great reminder of the necessity of organizations like LLS fighting to cure cancer. That's why they are doing Student Visionaries of the Year. The connection between Jed's grandpa and Evelyn's sister is only possible through the relentless efforts of organizations like LLS.

Visionaries look to the future—and see infinite possibility.
They challenge the status quo—and make the impossible possible.
They boldly imagine a better world – and lead the charge to create it.

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society was built on that same vision - of a better world - one without blood cancers.

I am a visionary; I have a vision for a world without cancer, but I need your help.

This year, I’m proud to be a part of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) Student Visionaries of the Year Campaign, working to raise as much as possible for LLS’s mission.

As a global leader in the fight against blood cancer, LLS:

• Funds cutting-edge research leading to breakthroughs in immunotherapy, genomics and personalized medicine that are improving and saving the lives of patients
• Provides free education and support for blood cancer patients and families, including personalized, one-on-one support, assistance with identifying and enrolling in clinical trials, and more.
• Mobilizes thousands of advocates to drive policy changes that accelerate the development of new cancer treatments and break down barriers to care.

Please consider joining this fight by making a donation. All donations are greatly appreciated and tax-deductible. Please visit my website often and tell friends who would also like to donate!

Thanks to your support, my efforts will help ensure this generation is the last to see cancer.

On behalf of blood cancer patients everywhere, thank you!

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