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 Students of the Year because I really feel that we need to find a cure to all cancers. This fundraiser is important to me personally because my mom's brother, my uncle, was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer as a non-smoker in 2014 and passed away in 2018. He was an advocate for lung cancer research and my family wants to continue to fund research for all 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, there is still so much more to be done. Cancer is still one of the leading causes of death in children and young adults.

I have assembled Team Fight for a Cure to help me raise funds. I am proud to lead my campaign team and work towards our goal to raise $20,000 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,

Margot Caillaud

2021 Student of the Year Candidate