Hi, my name is Riley Frutiger, an honor roll senior at Oakdale High School. I try to stay active in my school community, being a part of the girls track program, the environmental club, the National Honor Society, and will be student directing the school musical this spring. After graduation, i'm planning on attending Stevenson University this fall to study Film and Moving Image. But outside of school, I'm a girl scout, and usually have a book in my reach if I'm not busy writing whatever comes to my head. 

But why am I involved with Clawing for a Cure and LLS? Something else you should know about me: My friends are my family. 

April 8th, 2021. The day my life changed forever. I found out that my best friend since 7th grade, Marissa Riddell, was sick. For an incredibly long week afterwards, we waited for a definitive answer as to what the lump in her chest was, which turned out to be primary mediastinal b cell lymphoma, a type of blood cancer common in women between the ages of 20 and 30.

Marissa was 16 the day she was diagnosed.

It didn't seem fair. Someone who had been my person for so long was suddenly facing some of the worst news people can recieve. And there was absolutely nothing I could do about it. I had to sit by and just try to be present while she struggled through rough treatments while all I wanted to do was take a fraction of what she was feeling away from her. I just wanted to be able to DO something.

Flash forward to today, where Marissa's heath has been significantly improving, both physically and mentally. When she approached me to join her campaign, a light bulb when off. I was finally being given the oppurtunity to DO something. Sure, it wasn't helping her beat the cancer or taking her pain away, but it was a chance to raise money for an organization who helps people with similar diagnosis.

I was finally able to help her.

So I signed up to help save lives with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and am working to raise as much 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. 
As you know, everyone wins when cancer loses. Thanks to your support, my efforts will help fund therapies and treatments that are saving lives, people with blood cancers, like Marissa. 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