Dear Friends and Family,

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 as a candidate in their Charlotte “Students of the Year” fundraising challenge, and I 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 I want to help families pay for their medical care and also help find a cure for blood cancers. When I was in the fourth grade, my dad was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Since he was able to get the care he needed, the tumor was removed, and he is doing better. Also, my cousin was diagnosed with leukemia when she was in high school. She now takes a pill every day to keep her in remission. I want to help find more cures to stop blood cancers. 

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 to support the critical work of LLS in combating these diseases.  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. Along 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 We Are the Champions to help me raise funds. I am proud to lead my campaign team and work towards our goal to raise $20,000 during the next 7 weeks - from January 26th – March 13th, 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,

Aashna Pillai

2020 Student of the Year Candidate