Hi everyone!

For those of you who don't know me, my name is Mia DiTrolio and I am a junior at the Academy of Saint Elizabeth in Morristown, New Jersey. I was nominated by my good friend, Julia Vallario, for the 2020 Student of the Year Competition, and I am absolutely ecstatic. 

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society is the largest blood cancer nonprofit in the world. Since 1949, they have invested almost $1.3 billion dollars towards finding a cure, as well as making life better for those currently fighting their battle. I am honored to be working alongside an organization of this caliber.

When I initially accepted my nomination, I did not possess a personal connection to LLS's cause. However, about two weeks into my journey post-acceptance, I received the devastating news that my grandfather had been diagnosed with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia, a type of blood and bone marrow cancer that causes the bone marrow to produce too many lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell). My grandfather is fighting for his life, so I am fighting for him, as well as the countless others who have or are suffering under cancer's fierce grip. You do not realize how horrific cancer truly is until it finds its way into your own family. By allocating funds to dedicate to medical research, my goal is to save a family from receive the shattering diagnosis. 

We are saving lives not some day, but today. With your support, we can make strides towards furthering research and potentially end cancer once and for all. I want my generation to be the last to know what cancer is.

Thank you for taking the time out of your busy day to come to my page. Words cannot express what this means to me, and every single donation is beyond appreciated. To make things simpler, I will also be accepting donations through my Venmo @mia-ditrolio

We are truly making a difference. I can't do this without you guys. Let's be the change.

With love and gratitude,

Mia DiTrolio

I am honored to participate as a team member for the 2020 Students of the Year program, a seven-week initiative in which select high school students from around the country participate in a fundraising competition to benefit The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. I am proud to support my candidate and am raising critical dollars in honor of a young patient hero who is currently battling or is in remission from a blood cancer. Each dollar is a vote. The candidate team that raises the most money at the end of the seven weeks is named Student of the Year. Our mission is to not only raise the most money but also to bring attention to blood cancers like leukemia, which is the most common form of cancer in children and teens.

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.

We really are changing the face of blood cancer!

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.

Please visit our website often and bring friends who would also like to donate!

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

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