The picture below is a joint birthday with my late grandfather, Dr. Walter D. Shields, who battled high risk acute myelogenous leukemia and became a recipient of a stem cell transplant. He and I were very close, and one thing that we enjoyed most  was having a birthday celebration together every July since our birthdays were only eleven days apart. After his diagnosis, my wish was always the same: That he would continue to live. For 3.5 years, my wish came true, but after many setbacks after his stem cell transplant, he lost his valiant battle on January 12, 2023. I miss blowing out the candles with my grandfather. Althought he is no longer with us, I want to keep his memory alive by proudly participating in The Leukemia Lymphoma Society's 2025 Student Visionaries of the Year campaign. Our goal is to raise $50,000 to help others who are fighting this terrible disease.

LLS has three core pillars: patient support, advocacy, and research. When I launched my campaign, I immediately knew my grandfather would want my team to focus on research. He dedicated his nearly 50-year dental career to research with numerous published academic papers and was collaborating up until the time of his death with colleagues at the Medical University of South Carolina College of Dental Medicine on a paper based on more than 20 years of his clinical findings.

The research pillar is especially personal for me because LLS invested millions in the life-saving treatment that allowed my grandfather to have access to new chemotherapy treatments and to get his stem cell transplant. LLS funding enabled FDA approval of Vyxeos, a groundbreaking therapy, just 18 months before his diagnosis. I am so grateful that LLS' generous investment in this innovative therapy gave me more joint birthdays and holidays to celebrate with my grandfather.

Please consider supporting this amazing organization by making a contribution to my campaign, and by sharing the link to my page with your network. All donations are greatly appreciated and tax-deductible. For more information on LLS, please visit www.LLS.org

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

Visionaries look to the future—and see infinite possibility.
They challenge the status quo—and make the impossible possible.
They boldly imagine a better world – and lead the charge to create it.

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society was built on that same vision - of a better world - one without blood cancers.

I am a visionary; I have a vision for a world without cancer, but I need your help.

This year, I’m proud to be a part of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) Student Visionaries of the Year Campaign, working to raise as much as possible for LLS’s mission.

As a global leader in the fight against blood cancer, LLS:

• Funds cutting-edge research leading to breakthroughs in immunotherapy, genomics and personalized medicine that are improving and saving the lives of patients
• Provides free education and support for blood cancer patients and families, including personalized, one-on-one support, assistance with identifying and enrolling in clinical trials, and more.
• Mobilizes thousands of advocates to drive policy changes that accelerate the development of new cancer treatments and break down barriers to care.

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.