Don't worry, the car was in park when this was taken :) 

My inspiration for LLS is someone I've considered an older sister throughout my life. She also happens to be the strongest person I have ever known. Due to her humble nature and to ensure her privacy, she has asked that her name be kept anonymous. While she does not have blood cancer, she was diagnosed with ALS and colon cancer in 2017 when she was just 20 years old. This extremely personal connection inspires me to participate and help any cause surrounding childhood cancer research. Regardless of the countless treatments and hospital visits that this girl has gone through, her smile never fades and her positivity continues to astound me. Not a day goes by that we don't speak to each other, so naturally, she is aware of any minor inconvenience that occurs in my life. Never once does she complain about the daily hospital visits or the exhausting infusions. Her selfless nature truly knows no end. This girl and I have known each other since I was merely six years old. At the time, she was freshly into the world of being a teenager at the age of 13. As we grew up together, the gap in our ages never affected our relationship. We saw each other as equals back then, just as we do now. Before her sickness, we would take trips to the Wendy's drive-thru as if it were the biggest adventure we could embark upon. I am forever grateful for those memories, which I surely will never forget. Currently, she is a pre-med student at George Mason University and hopes to one day become a doctor. It is mind-blowing to me that someone who spends so much time at Georgetown Medstar University Hospital would want to continue to spend their life there, however, I admire her even more for it. It truly shows her passion for embracing all aspects of medicine into her life. I truly could not be more passionate about this subject and every cent towards the cause brings a smile to my face. Knowing that although I might not be directly helping my connection, I will be helping millions of others is an indescribable feeling. So to each and every one of you that donates to my page, thank you so so much on behalf of both myself and my inspiration. 

Hi Everyone! Thank you for visiting my fundraising page, welcome! 

I encourage you to join me in supporting The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) by making a donation to my fundraising campaign. By donating to LLS, you support the many facets of LLS’s mission work from investing in groundbreaking research, providing education and support to patients, and advocating at the state and federal level for legislation to help those living with cancer. My appreciation for your support cannot be overstated — each and every dollar donated to LLS brings us closer to our goal to end blood cancer and makes an impact for cancer patients and their families. If Venmo is an easier donation method, my Venmo is @gretchenobrien, simply caption it "LLS".

As a global leader in the fight to end cancer, LLS is committed to doing more for blood cancer patients and families than any organization in the world. LLS’s signature fundraising campaigns drive critical support for its mission, including a nearly $1.3 billion investment in cutting edge cancer research worldwide since it was founded in 1949. Since the 1960s, survival rates for many blood cancer patients have doubled, tripled, or even quadrupled.

Every facet of LLS’s mission – research, education and support, and policy and advocacy – work in harmony to put blood cancer patients and their families first. LLS has helped millions impacted by cancer throughout its more than 70-year history, even funding breakthrough blood cancer research to advance lifesaving treatments and cures that is now helping patients with other cancers and diseases. That is why at LLS we say that beating cancer is in our blood.

Please visit my website as often as you can and share it with everyone you know who would also like to join us in the fight against cancer. Together, we have the power, the passion and the resolve to achieve a world without blood cancer. All donations are tax-deductible.

On behalf of cancer patients and their families everywhere, I thank you for your support!

For more information about LLS, please visit lls.org