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 particularly important to me and close to my heart because, my Dad, Darren, was diagnosed with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia 22 years ago. He’s currently doing great. He’s had chemotherapy and several other treatments in previous years and may have to undergo treatments again, but for right now he is stable. I’m so grateful for the advances that have been made in fighting cancer which have helped my dad and many others around the world. Because of my Dad’s history, I wanted to get involved and make a difference in someone else’s life.

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 Lauren’s Lifesaving Squad (LLS) to help me raise funds. I am proud to lead my campaign team and work towards our goal to raise $50,000 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,

Lauren Mond

2020 Student of the Year Candidate