I am more than honored and humbled to be participating in The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) 2020 Students of the Year (SOY) campaign, a seven-week initiative in which high school students from around the country are nominated to participate in a fundraising competition to benefit LLS’s mission: to find a cure for leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma, and to improve the quality of life of patients and their families.

This is a once in a lifetime opportunity that personally means so much to me because in 2018, my superhero friend, Mason Mazzuca passed away of T Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia at the young age of 6.  For two years he battled his way through cancer, being blind for three months due to hemorrhages in his head, chemo, radiation, spinal taps, treatments, and ultimately a failed bone marrow transplant. Mason danced his way through treatment (Uptown Funk was his favorite) and handled every obstacle like a true warrior.  His positivity and love for life inspired everyone around him to live every moment to the fullest and to always “choose joy”. Through Mason’s journey I became all too familiar with blood cancer and other children that have been affected by it. I joined my Mom, Mason and his mom Keli at several LLS events and was proud to stand by all of the warriors, hear their stories, and help make a difference in finding a cure.  No child or adult should ever have to endure this terrible disease. I will forever fight for an end to blood cancer. This is why my friends Ella, Skylar and I have created “Pats for a Purpose.”

“Pats for a Purpose” is dedicated to raising awareness and funds to help find a cure for blood cancer.  Please join me in supporting The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) by making a donation to my fundraising campaign. Every dollar I raise counts as one vote and the candidate who gets the most votes gets named Student of the Year. 

 We are changing the face of blood cancer! Will you join us?!

Because of campaigns like Students of the Year, LLS has seen tremendous success discovering new and more effective treatments for blood cancer patients and has created a new exciting initiative focusing on treatments for pediatric patients.

• LLS funded 43 of the 49 FDA approved treatments for blood cancer patients since 2017
• Since 2000, more than 40% of the new cancer therapies approved by the FDA started as blood cancer research
• In 2019, LLS established The LLS Children’s Initiative, a comprehensive $50 MILLION multi-year endeavor, to help children with cancer through every facet of LLS’s mission:
• More than doubling our investment in pediatric cancer research grants and expanding education and support service for children and their families
• Advocating for and driving policies to accelerate the development of new treatments and break down barriers to care
• Launching LLS PedAL (Pediatric Acute Leukemia), a groundbreaking global precision medicine clinical trial in acute pediatric leukemia

LLS's continued advancements over the years, are responsible for the blood cancer survival rate doubling and tripling; in some cases, the survival rate has even quadrupled. LLS is making a difference in the world so no other kid and or adult has to face such a big challenge in their life like Mason.

All donations are greatly appreciated and are tax deductible. With your donation, you’re not only support LLS research but patient services, advocacy, public and professional education, and community services as well. Together WE CAN FIND A CURE!

Please visit my fundraising webpage(s) often and pass along the link to family, friends, neighbors, colleagues, etc. who might donate!  I recognize I need lots of support to reach our fundraising goal!

On behalf of blood cancer patients everywhere I thank you for your support!

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

To finding a cure!

With much love & hope,

Jolie Graham