Sophie and I are so honored to be candidates of the Student of The Year campaign. Sophie is a junior at Shawnee Mission East High school and I am a junior at Shawnee Mission Northwest high school. Sophie and I are a part of the Shawnee Mission Medical Science Signature program. We have a passion for the medical field and helping people which is why the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society is so important to us. The LLS foundation has invested $1.2 billion in cutting-edge research, funding nearly all of todays most promising advances. In 2017 LLS funded 15 of the 18 FDA approved treatments which have then helped thousands of cancer patients. LLS fights so hard everyday to continue doing research because of the fact that every 3 minutes someone is diagnosed with a blood cancer and more than 1.2 million people are living with or in remission from leukemia, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma. Sophie and I want to help LLS make a difference in the lives of those 1.2 million patients currently battling cancer and we would love it if you joined us by making a donation to our page. 100% of your donation goes directly to cancer research through LLS and your donation is tax deductible. Another exciting fact about our campaign is that if we win Sophie and I will receive a $1,250 scholarship each for college AND we will get $1,000 donated to our school, and we become the 2019 Students of The Year! We are competing with 9 other teams in the midwest chapter and have set a goal of raising $65,000. We believe this goal is achievable and have hopeful hearts for all the great things that will happen in our campaign.

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.