Every three minutes someone is diagnosed with a blood cancer.  Every nine minutes someone dies from one.  I have grown up hearing the word cancer.  When I was young I didn’t know what cancer was, but I knew I did not want it.  Cancer is the uncontrolled division of abnormal cells in a part of the body. Today nearly 1.5 million people in the United States are living with, or in remission from leukemia, lymphoma, or myeloma.  More than one third of these blood cancer patients do not survive five years after diagnosis.  I fight for each and every single one of these patients.  I fight for these patients families.  I fight for future patients.  I do not want my kids growing up hearing and/or fearing the word cancer, like I did.  The Leukemia and Lymphoma Societies (LLS) Students of the Year (SOY) campaign has provided me with a voice to fight.  Together we could be the generation that puts an end to cancer.  So I please ask you to donate what you can, if you can, to make a difference in so many lives.

Hello, my name is Nicole Rickabaugh, and I am a senior at Kent Island High School.  I have signed up to save lives with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) and am working to raise as many life saving funds as possible over the next 7 weeks. Every dollar raised counts as one vote for my campaign. The candidate(s) whose team tallies the most votes earns the prestigious title of Student or Students of the Year. Will you help me earn that title?
 
As you know, everyone wins when cancer loses. Thanks to your support, my efforts will help fund therapies and treatments that are saving lives. Over the years, support from people like you has been responsible for the blood cancer advancements that have doubled, tripled, and in some cases quadrupled the survival rate for some blood cancers.
 
Many LLS-supported therapies not only help blood cancer patients but are also now used to treat patients with rare forms of stomach and skin cancers and are in clinical trials for patients with lung, brain, breast, pancreatic and prostate cancers. And LLS-funded drugs, like targeted therapies and immunotherapies, are now saving thousands of lives every day.
 
We really are getting close to our goal of a world without blood cancers!
 
All donations are greatly appreciated and tax-deductible. They'll not only support LLS research, but patient services, advocacy, public and professional education, and community services as well.
 
Please visit my website often and tell 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