I'm Sahil Akhter, and I am now a Senior at Lynnfield High School and am hoping to make a difference by running for the title of New England Student Visionary of the Year. Over the next 7 weeks, I'll be working with The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) to raise money and awareness for their mission to cure blood cancers. This is my last time leading a team of my own and I hope to make it the best yet.

The mission of LLS is to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma (types of blood cancer that can affect the bone marrow, blood cells, lymph nodes and other parts of the lymphatic system), and improve the quality of life of patients and their families.

This year my fundraising team named “Team Sonny”, in honor of my childhood friend. By donating to this cause you would be saving so many families from all the pain and grief that comes with cancer. 

My Team’s effort will honor Raelyn Augusto, age 6, from Lincoln, RI. In fall of 2021, when she was 5 years old, Raelyn was diagnosed with B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. After months of chemotherapy and radiation, she received a bone marrow transplant in July of 2022. Although she is still in recovery and must remain isolated due to increased risk of infection, she continues to stay strong and determined throughout this journey. Raelyn has made the best of every admission and doctor's visit, making beautiful connections with every person she meets.

Our campaign has been dedicated to pediatric cancer research, and reaching our goal of $30,000 would allow us to fund a research grant dedicated to researching child cancer like Raelyn’s.

There are a few ways you can support my campaign:

1. Donate via my personal fundraising page: https://events.lls.org/ma/svoyboston23/sakhter. You may also mail your tax-deductible contribution to me at 151 Main Street Lynnfield, MA 01940. Please make check payable to “The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society” and print “Sahil Akhter” in the Memo section

2. Share my message & fundraising link with anyone you know.

3. Buy a mask($5), t-shirt($15), and/or wristband($2) by responding to this email. 

I cannot put into words how much it would mean if you could help us save lives!

Thank you so much!