Family meeting dad's stem cell donor, Jan, in Germany in 2018

I am honored to be a candidate for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Students of the Year campaign in 2021. For seven weeks starting January 7th to February 27th, I will be competing against 11 other candidate teams to see who can raise the most money to fund blood cancer research and fight cancer. The candidate who raises the most money during this period will be crowned the winner. This is my goal. 

In 2017 I witnessed my father run for the Man/Woman of the Year Campaign, placing second and raising over $70,000. In 2013, his doctors diagnosed him with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML), a form of blood cancer. After undergoing several rounds of chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant, he beat the cancer and came out roaring. At the end of his own campaign he even ran a marathon. Unfortunately, the cancer came back during that same year. After another year of fighting and battling the cancer and it's complications, he passed away on December 7th, 2018. 

Many of you knew my father and may have donated to his campaign, but the fight didn't end with him. The five year survival rate for AML is about 27-28%. It is thanks to organizations like the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society that I had five years to spend with my dad after his diagnosis. I made some great memories with him during that time. He coached my basketball team (we weren't very good), we would go to Rockies games, and spent Friday nights watching some horrible (in my opinion, not his) 80's movies. My family even had the opportunity a few weeks before his passing to travel to Germany and meet his stem cell donor, which was truly one of the most special moments of my life. 

LLS is doing amazing things for cancer patients and their families, especially in these unusally trying times. I give my thanks to not just the doctors who treated my dad, but also to LLS. If you are able to make a donation, think about the families affected by cancer, and know that your dollars are helping them. Please check with your employer to see if they will match your donation as well. You can use this link to check. Do not hesitate to contact me at samuelt775@lpsk12.org with questions or if you would like to donate an auction item or be a corporate sponsor.

Please visit my website as often as you can and share it with everyone you know who would also like to join us in the fight against cancer. Together, we have the power, the passion and the resolve to achieve a world without blood cancer. All donations are tax-deductible.

On behalf of cancer patients and their families everywhere, I sincerely thank you for your support!

For more information about LLS, please visit lls.org