In 1967, weeks after her 40th birthday, my mother LeClaire died of Acute Myeloid Leukemia, leaving behind my father,  me, age 17, and a  senior in high school, and my sisters ages 11 and 6. Of my mother’s worries was that her youngest daughters would not remember her. My mother told my Dad not to have me stay at home and take her place caring for the family after high school, but to send me away to college. She said her years at Penn State were the happiest of her life, and she wanted that for me. Our family was broken and my father told me not to come home from college for Thanksgiving that year because it was too depressing. 2 years later my father remarried and we had a painful and difficult relationship with the stepmother that resonates to this day.

LLS's continued advancements over the years, are responsible for the overall blood cancer survival rate doubling and tripling; in some cases, the survival rate has even quadrupled.

And many LLS supported therapies not only help blood cancer patients but are now used to treat patients with rare forms of stomach and skin cancers. They're even being tested in clinical trials for patients with a range of cancers including lung, brain, breast, pancreatic and prostate cancers. LLS funded drugs are now being tested for patients with other non-cancerous diseases like Diabetes, Rheumatoid Arthritis and Multiple Sclerosis.

AML had a 10% survival rate in 1967, which has increased to 30% today, significantly behind the progress made in other Leukemias. Research to discover AML cures and life sustaining treatments desperately needs our support. 

Please join me in supporting Blood Cancer United (The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS)) by making a donation to my fundraising campaign. Thanks to your support, my efforts, will help fund the therapies and treatments and help save lives today.We really are changing the face of blood cancer.

All donations are greatly appreciated and are tax deductible. They'll not only support LLS research but patient services, advocacy, public and professional education, and community services as well.

Please visit my Web site  and bring friends who would also like to donate!

On behalf of blood cancer patients everywhere I thank you for your support!
For more information about LLS, please visit lls.org