Students of the Year Dallas
Aidan Hoofard | Team For Others
Welcome to Aidan Hoofard's SOY Fundraising Page!
When my best friend Jake Norvell was five-years-old, he was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (AML), a rare blood disease targeting the production of white blood cells. He was in and out of chemotherapy, and fought for his life for many years.
The above two photos are pictures of Jake when he was living with leukemia. The one on the left is his trip to Disneyworld through the Make A Wish Foundation, and the second is a photo of Jake as the honored hero at a running event.
I’ve known Jake since our freshman year of high school. He’s one of the funniest, most compassionate, and inspiring human beings I’ve had the pleasure of knowing. I am thankful that he was among the survivors, cured with the help of medical research and new therapies. I couldn’t imagine life without him. Here are some photos of us from throughout the years:
About every three minutes, someone is diagnosed with blood cancer. More than one million people are currently living with or in remission from leukemia, Hodgkin’s disease, and myeloma. This year, 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 share Jake’s story and be a part of “Team for Others” our student-led initiative to help fight cancer. Our mission is to bring attention, awareness, and a cure 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 has doubled, tripled, or even quadrupled. On top of that, many LLS supported therapies not only help blood cancer patients, but they are also 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.
Unfortunately, everyone knows or loves someone who has been affected by cancer. Jake is one of the lucky ones. I never met one of my aunts, Susan McCormick, because she passed away from leukemia when she was only six years old. Research for cancer was even more rare back then. But with your help, we can keep working towards finding a cure, and providing care for the millions of people.
Any donation means the world and are greatly appreciated. It’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. Without the support and research of organizations like the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Jake wouldn’t be with us today.
Thank you for your support and making a difference in changing the face of blood cancer. You’re helping us save people like Jake who make a difference in the world and brighten everyone’s day by just being present.
For more information about LLS, please visit www.lls.org.
6 Comments
Colleen
Proud of both of you for doing this!
John Maher
Aidan Hoofard & Jake Norvell
Thomas McCormick
Great cause Aiden! Thank You!
Robin and Tim McCormick
Great organization doing great work It has been important to us for a long time. Good luck!
Jackson Summers
Go Rangers!
Anonymous
Good luck! :)