My name is Ashlyn Adams and I am a high school sophomore at Providence Day School. This year, I have decided to run for Student Visionary of the Year, a title granted to the candidate(s) who raise the most money in a seven week fundraising period through the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS). I will be running alongside my friend Natalie Gaslin who is also a high school sophomore who attends Charlotte Latin School. Please consider donating to help us achieve our goal of raising $50,000!

I am running for Student Visionary of the Year in honor of my great-grandfather who suffered from pancreatic cancer. Though I was never able to meet him, I saw the impact cancer had on my family. Despite not being a blood cancer, I know how cancer can be devastating for so many people. We all know that everyone wins when cancer loses. This is why I have assembled my team of "Cancer Killers" to help raise as much money as possible in these seven weeks!

Approximately every three minutes, one person in the US is diagnosed with leukemia, lymphoma, or myeloma. These diseases accounted for around 9.5% of deaths from cancer in 2021, which is equivalent to around 60,000 people. 

LLS was built on a vision of a world without blood cancers. It is the largest nonprofit organization dedicated to funding blood cancer research. They fund research for breakthroughs in immunotherapy, genomics, and personalized medicine that help save the lives of cancer patients, provides free education and support for blood cancer patients and their families, and thanks to donations from people like you, they have been able to invest more that $1.5 billion in cancer research since they started in 1949. Thanks to your donations, the survival rate for some cancers have doubled, tripled, or even quadrupled since the charity began. 

Each year, LLS honors two people who are fighting against cancer and shares their stories. This year, LLS's two honored heros in North Carolina are Piper Wiggs and Charlie Ward. Piper is five years old and is fighting B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. She loves Disney also, along with Halloween, dolls, pizza, and yogurt. Charlie is only three years old and is battling Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia with MLL Rearragnement. He loves Disney, cars, Toy Story, the Carolina Tar Heels, and hanging out with his parents, older brother, and older sister. With help from people like you, LLS will be able to fund research and ensure that these kids will win their battle against cancer! 

Please consider joining this fight by making a donation. All donations are greatly appreciated and tax-deductible. Please visit my website often and tell friends who would also like to donate!

Thanks to your support, my efforts will help ensure this generation is the last to see cancer.

On behalf of blood cancer patients everywhere, thank you!

For more information about LLS, please visit www.lls.org.