Dear Friends, and Family, 

        I am humbled and thrilled to announce that I will be running as a co-candidate for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s (LLS), “Students of the Year” campaign alongside my good friend, Cooper Lyons. Students of the Year is a seven-week fundraising competition for high school students to raise funds in order to find a cure for blood cancer. The competition starts on January 9, 2021 and ends February 27th, 2021. Our team of 18 students, Team Overcome, is determined to reach our goal of $100,000 in hopes of shining a bright light into the dark world of blood cancer. 

 Every nine minutes, someone dies from blood cancer.  Every three minutes, someone is diagnosed with blood cancer. Since 1964, The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society has helped find cures for blood cancers. Survival rates have been rising since the 1960 's! LLS has invested more than $1 billion to advance cancer therapies and survival. Many LLS supported therapies not only help blood cancer patients, but are now approved to treat patients with rare forms of autoimmune diseases, and other forms of cancer! 

In October of 2015, my close friend Jane Finley (left)  was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma. I did not know Jane as well as I do now, but once I heard the news, my heart dropped. Why do horrible things happen to amazing people? Because those amazing people will fight. Jane relapsed again in July of 2016 but now has been cancer free for almost four years! Jane is my mentor and my role model. She inspires me everyday to have courage, and to fight. I will fight for a cure. 

       Fast forward two years later. November 2017. My best friend, Claire, (right) who is also close with Jane, was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. I remember Googling the definition and sobbing because I had no idea what it meant. My world shattered again. I watched Claire fade away into the darkness of cancer, and I had no idea how to stop it. Claire unfortunately relapsed in March of 2020 but now has been in remission since July! She is the definition of strength.  Claire is a “positivity magnet” who draws you in with the brightest smile the world can see. She is the light that will never stop shining! 

The whole idea of cancer being in a loved one's life is so unfair. I could not imagine how my friends were feeling, or the fear of the unknown that loomed over their  heads, day by day. I wanted to make a difference in their lives. I knew I had a mission to raise awareness and evoke change in the world of blood cancer research. Will you help me complete this mission?

Team Overcome is determined to continue to fight and push for a cure for Claire, Jane, and all the other people in the world who have to hear the words:  “You have cancer.” 

COVID may have cancelled vacations and social events, but cancer is NOT cancelled.  Our work for cancer research is not postponed, or over. I believe that in these trying times, our community will come together. We must all be the light. That is why I am reaching out to you to help us become the generation that defeats leukemia and lymphoma. 

With your help, we can be the light, and the FIGHT! If you would like to make an online donation please visit my website, https://events.lls.org/noh/nohSOY21/cmendelow. If you wish to donate through the mail, please make your check payable to The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Please print our team name, “Team Overcome” in the memo section. The address to enclose on the envelope is 31108 Manchester Lane, Bay Village OH, 44140. Your donations are tax-deductible. All donations, no matter the size, will help us in the fight against blood cancers. For more information, please feel free to contact me at carlimendy@gmail.com or 440-667-8232! 

Sincerely, 

Carli Mendelow and Team Overcome