Today more than a million Americans are fighting a daily battle with blood cancers and every 4 minutes another person unwillingly joins the fight. I have been given the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to join the battle and help those living with blood cancers. The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) has nominated me and my two teammates as a candidate in their Charlotte “Students of the Year” fundraising challenge, and we could not be more excited to make a difference in the lives of patients across the country! This mission is especially important to me personally because of my father. When he passed away, I was left feeling hopeless and although he did not die of cancer, every loss is a loss, no matter the case. Whether it is a brother, sister, cousin, uncle, grandfather, or mother, a loss of a loved one, a family member, a friend, a colleague affects all of us in indescribable and heartbreaking ways.

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society is the largest donor to blood cancer research in the nation. They have invested nearly $1.3 billion in research, and are leaders in advancing breakthroughs in immunotherapy, genomics and personalized medicine. These revolutionary new treatments originally discovered through blood cancer research are now being tested in clinical trials for other cancers. While there has been phenomenal progress in the fight to cure cancer, there is still so much more to be done. Leukemia is still the second leading cause of death among children under the age of 20.

My campaign provides an opportunity, not only to support the work of LLS in combating these diseases, but also to provide hope to families that are lacking faith and need an outlet of support. I am honoring those who have battled blood cancers and raising money that will go directly to LLS in support of its longstanding mission to find a cure and improve the quality of life of patients and their families. With my team, I will work to increase awareness about the impact of blood cancers and the cutting edge treatments that are currently being researched, as well as inspire others to join the fight to find a cure.

I have assembled Team 043 to help me raise funds, and I am proudly leading my campaign team to work towards our goal of $150,000 during the next 7 weeks - from January 26^th – March 13^th, 2020.

Help be part of the cure and help my team compete in the Charlotte Students of the Year campaign. For more information about LLS and Student of the Year, please visit studentsoftheyear.org.

Sincerely,

Anna Brown

2020 Student of the Year Candidate