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.

What really inspired me to get involved with this campaign and LLS was my Dad. My Dad was diagnosed with Stage lV Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma back in 2017, and I experienced firsthand what it was like for him to go through those chemotherapy treatments that take all the life from your body. I watched him lose his hair, his confidence, his strength, but he never stopped fighting. I truly believe the amazing research from LLS is the reason my Dad is alive today, and the reason so many others are too. This campaign means so much to me; if I can give even one more person the chance that I got, to see my Dad go into remission, that's exactly what I want to do.

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, there is still so much more to be done. Cancer is still one of the leading causes of death in children and young adults.

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.

My co-candidate, Andrew, and I have assembled AAction Team to help raise funds. We are proud to lead our campaign team and work towards our goal to raise $100,000 during the next 7 weeks - from January 17 – March 5, 2021

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,

Ava Leckinger

2021 Student of the Year Candidate