Dear Friends, Family and Supporters,

This is the first year for Northern Colorado to have a Students of the Year campaign for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) and I am so excited to have the opportunity to participate. On February 6, 2020 we will kick off the 7-week campaign that ends on March 26, 2020. The goal of the campaign is to raise money to fund research, treatment and valuable support for patients and families as they battle blood cancers. The money is raised by teams of teenagers from around Northern Colorado who compete against each other in this fundraising activity. I am a leader of one of these teams and our goal is to raise $40,000 in the 7-week period. I have a personal goal of $9,000.

LLS has made outstanding efforts in the treatment of blood cancers. Since the start of 2018, 53 new treatments were FDA-approved for blood cancer patients, 46 of which were funded by LLS. Locally, in Colorado, the organization has provided $3,037,144 in research funding. Not only is LLS closer to finding a cure for blood cancer than ever before, but the organization also supports research that repurposes drugs to help fight other cancers like melanoma (my aunt) and prostate cancer (my grandfather) as well as other diseases such as diabetes, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.

I have witnessed many family and friends with various cancers over the years. Currently, I have an uncle who is battling a rare form of leukemia of which there is no good treatment protocol. He has endured many rounds of experimental chemotherapy with many side effects and is hoping that a breakthrough with immunotherapy will be available for him soon. With this campaign, I hope that the money raised will help give people like my uncle opportunities for new treatments and a better chance for survival. I hope someday none of us will have to fear the cancer diagnosis.

I am so thrilled to help an organization like LLS that is working to find cures, but I can't do it without YOUR help. You can help by making a tax-deductible contribution on this website dedicated to this campaign. You can also mail in checks, made payable to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society with my name (Ellie Mead) in the memo line and mailed to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society at 720 S Colorado Blvd, Suite 520-N; Denver, CO 80246. 

Please ask if your donation can be matched by your company. Also, please share this letter and my website with your friends and family as you can. It is amazing how so many people have been impacted by cancer in addition to the other diseases LLS supports. Every dollar counts. The dollar you give may be the dollar that finally cures all blood cancers.

Thank you,

Ellie Mead

For any questions, please contact me at elliehmead@gmail.com or 970-685-2880! Thank you!