We are Elise Sankel and Eleanor McDermott. We are honored to have been nominated 2025 Student Visionaries of the Year for the Leukemia Lymphoma Society.  

The Student Visionaries of the Year campaign is a seven-week effort to raise money to support the LLS mission. We are running as a co-candidate team against other teams across Colorado to raise as much money as possible. LLS funding has contributed to almost every major blood cancer research breakthrough to date, but there is still more to do, that is why we are asking for your support!

Throughout our campaign, we will have a focus on raising money to benefit the LLS mission pillar, advocacy. The advocacy pillar is made up of more than 100,000 volunteers who advocate for policies at the State and Federal levels in a commitment to remove barriers to care for cancer patients. These efforts have already helped increase federal research funds, speed the review and approval process of new therapies, and ensure patients are able to access lifesaving treatments. Many of the policies that LLS advocates for are universally beneficial for all cancer patients. While LLS has accomplished so much there is still so much left to do. Join us in making these patients' demanding fight against cancer a little easier.

Our goal is to raise $35,000 starting on the LLS campaign kickoff date, 01/16/25, and the finale on 03/08/25. Join us in our fight against blood cancer!  

Our why:

Elise was on her close friends’ Student Visionaries of the Year team last year and was inspired to run her own campaign, with her long-time friend Eleanor. Elise’s cousin David Feldman died of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia two years ago, after having fought against it for over 30 years. His struggle deeply impacted Elise’s family, so she is stepping up on their behalf. When Elise was a freshman, a senior on her cross-country team was diagnosed with blood cancer and Elise was impacted by her bravery, courage, and resilience.  Eleanor committed to this campaign after seeing her uncle diagnosed with Leukemia. While he has been able to make a full recovery this would not have been possible without accessibility to his innovative treatment. Eleanor’s uncle is an amazing father to her cousins and an impactful Physics professor and researcher. The thought of the world losing an amazing person like this inspired Eleanor to make a difference. This is why she has joined the LLS campaign to fight against cancer and keep people like her uncle alive.

Visionaries look to the future—and see infinite possibility.
They challenge the status quo—and make the impossible possible.
They boldly imagine a better world – and lead the charge to create it.

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society was built on that same vision - of a better world - one without blood cancers.

We are visionaries; We have a vision for a world without cancer, but We need your help.

This year, we are proud to be a part of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) Student Visionaries of the Year Campaign, working to raise as much as possible for LLS’s mission.

As a global leader in the fight against blood cancer, LLS:

• Funds cutting-edge research leading to breakthroughs in immunotherapy, genomics and personalized medicine that are improving and saving the lives of patients
• Provides free education and support for blood cancer patients and families, including personalized, one-on-one support, assistance with identifying and enrolling in clinical trials, and more.
• Mobilizes thousands of advocates to drive policy changes that accelerate the development of new cancer treatments and break down barriers to care.

Please consider joining this fight by making a donation. All donations are greatly appreciated and tax-deductible. Please visit our website often and tell friends who would also like to donate!

Thanks to your support, our efforts will help ensure this generation is the last to see cancer.

On behalf of blood cancer patients everywhere, thank you!

For more information about LLS, please visit www.lls.org.