My Dear Aunt Betty, you were my hero, a fighter and a survivor. You fought a difficult battle. Unfortunately this past year you lost your batte to Mantle Cell lymphoma.  Pictured is my Aunt Betty doing a Team in Training for LLS. From the moment she was diagnosed she was battling, when she was feeling good she was fighting the battle through fundraising.  She did a Ride for a Cure, as she was a lover of horses.  She did a Team in Training, she raised awareness and money for Light the Night.   She brightened any room she walked in.  I was given this opportunity to participate in this fundraiser and I was reminded of her fight and knew I had to participate.  Please know even though my Aunt lost her battle, the LLS is constantly looking and working towards cures.  And just maybe, the money we raise will save a life.  

I am honored to participate in the 2019 Students of the Year program, a seven-week initiative in which select high school students from around the country participate in a fundraising competition to benefit The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. I am proud to be raising critical dollars in honor of a young patient hero who is currently battling or is in remission from a blood cancer. Each dollar is a vote. The candidate team that raises the most money at the end of the seven weeks is named Student(s) of the Year. Our mission is to not only raise the most money but also to bring attention to blood cancers like leukemia, which is the most common form of cancer in children and teens.

Since the early 1960s, five-year survival rates for many blood cancer patients have doubled, tripled or even quadrupled. And many LLS supported therapies not only help blood cancer patients but are helping patients with other cancers and serious diseases. In fact, drugs first approved for blood cancers are now approved to treat patients with stomach cancers, skin cancers, and autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis.

We really are changing the face of blood cancer!

All donations are greatly appreciated and are tax deductible. They'll not only support LLS-funded research but will help provide critical information and support for patients, and support advocacy for laws to ensure patients can access the care and treatments they need.

Please visit our website often and bring 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.