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. 

I am a visionary; I have a vision for a world without cancer, but I need your help.

This year, I’m 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. 

LLS has played a very important role in my family. My dad, Chris Marsengill, became a survivor of Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia in 2002 thanks to a newly discovered drug known as AIDA. Just a few years prior to his diagnosis, his story more than likely would have ended very differently. LLS is responsible for raising the funds for the research that saved my dad's life.  Unfortunately, he was diagnosed with another rare form of blood cancer in April of 2021. Known as Polycythemia Vera, PV is a rare blood cancer that currently has no cure. Luckily, thanks to research conducted in the years between his remission and new diagnosis, PV can be managed allowing patients to live long almost normal lives. My dad’s fight has always motivated my family to raise funds and awareness, but my connection does not end there. In 2018 my friend Kate McKay was diagnosed with leukemia at the age of nine and passed away only a few weeks later. Twenty years after my dad was initially diagnosed, we are Still Fighting to find a cure for those facing the same battles as Chris and Kate.

Research is a vital resource in the fight against cancer. LLS has invested nearly $1.5 billion in cancer research since it began. These funds support research studies for break through treatments that give hope to patients and their families, including my own. Newly discovered treatments can make a huge difference in a patient’s diagnosis. A diagnosis that would normally have a grim outcome can now be treated or managed thanks to research conducted in clinical trials. Treatments discovered in research trials for blood cancers also help lead to new treatments for all types of cancer. That’s why LLS is so important to families like mine. Campaigns such as Student Visionaries help bring in the funds needed to support clinical trials and achieve a future without cancer.

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 my website often and tell friends who would also like to donate!

Thanks to your support, my 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.