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.

I am participating in the student of the year campaign to honor those in my life who have courageously battled cancer.  In 2014, my paternal grandmother, Vickey Shaw, lost her fight to this deadly disease.   Her death was heart breaking and motivates me to raise awareness and support for LLS. 

My maternal grandmother, Sara Byne, was diagnosed with terminal CML in 1998.  She was fortunate to be on the first clinical trial of Gleevec, a treatment developed by Novartis in conjunction with financial aid from LLS.  She enjoys a wonderful and active life today, maintaining remission with the continuation of Gleevec. It is so important that medical advancements continue to be made in the treatment of blood cancers.  This can only be accomplished  by supporting theraputic  research.  Please join me in helping to eradicate this horrific disease.

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.

I have assembled Team Cancer Crushers to help me raise funds. I am proud to lead my 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.