I've been given the honor to participate in the 2019 Students of the Year program, a seven-week program in which a couple of high school students from around the country participate in a fundraising competition to benefit The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. I am proud to be raising critical dollars in honor of Dakota, a wonderful 5-year-old girl living right here in Florida who is currently battling Leukemia, as well as raising money in memory of my grandfather, Nathan Martin, who recently passed away from pancreatic cancer. Each dollar is a vote, a step toward winning the title of Student of the Year.

But this campaign is more than just a title. In the end, all the candidates are working together towards a mission greater than money. We intend to positively impact the lives of as many patients and families who are currently under blood cancer's shadow. In the end, we intend to cure it.

The LLS is moving in the right direction to do so. Since the early 1960s, five-year survival rates for many blood cancer patients have doubled, tripled or even quadrupled. And many LLS supported therapies not only help blood cancer patients but are helping patients with other cancers and serious diseases. In fact, drugs first approved for blood cancers are now approved to treat patients with stomach cancers, skin cancers, and autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis.

With progress like this being made, a cure can't be far away.

All donations are greatly appreciated and are tax deductible. They'll not only support LLS-funded research but will help provide critical information and support for patients, and support advocacy for laws to ensure patients can access the care and treatments they need.

If there is anyone you know who you'd like to join us in this mission, please guide them to this site.

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

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