Dear Family and Friends,

Last year, I volunteered at the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society “LLS” Man and Woman of the Year event with my mom. We had the opportunity to meet Gina, a young girl who loves to dance, swim, paint, and act. Gina has the most beautiful smile that brightens up every room, despite the fact that she had been diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in March 2016 when she was only 11 years old. She was expected to finish the maintenance phase of her treatment in July. Unfortunately, we just learned Gina has relapsed and her cancer has returned.

Fighting this disease is incredibly challenging, however, scientific advancements have dramatically improved patients’ prospects. Thanks to research, Gina has found out she is a candidate for car-t-cell replacement, which is a treatment LLS helped research through funding.

This brings me to the reason for my letter. I am a candidate for the LLS’s Students of the Year Campaign. I am running in honor of Gina, and I am asking you to consider making a donation to our campaign team. Over the next seven weeks (January 10th – March 1st), we are working to raise money for LLS to help support their work to find a cure for blood cancers and improve the quality of life for patients. My team’s goal is to raise $20,000! Your contribution will help fund research that may save Gina’s life and the lives of many other kids with blood cancers.

Unfortunately, each of our families have been touched by cancer. LLS's tireless work on behalf of patients inspires me, and that is why I am taking on this project to raise awareness and funding to help patients survive and doctors find a cure.

LLS is the world’s largest health organization dedicated to funding blood cancer research, and they have invested more than $1 billion in work aimed at helping patients beat cancer and live longer, healthier lives. LLS research grants have funded many of today's most promising treatments, including targeted therapies and immunotherapies. Funding this type of research really works! Survival rates for many types of blood cancers have increased dramatically since 1960, and some of the treatments discovered are now helping patients fight other types of cancers and serious diseases.

I hope you will please consider making a donation to support LLS and its great work before the March 1st deadline. You can make a donation on this website or you can simply mail your tax-deductible donation to:

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

4009 Banister Lane, Suite 200

Austin, TX 78704 

You can make the check out to “The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society” and write “Avery Leissner” in the memo section.

You can also help raise funds by inviting others to join us in donating. Please share this donation link with friends who are committed to curing cancer or consider helping sponsor our upcoming events or providing in-kind contributions to support the fundraising effort.

There’s a role for everyone to play in this fight against cancer so please feel free to reach out to me if you think you can help in one of these ways. The only way we’ll beat this horrible disease is through research that will provide treatment options to save lives. I know your gift of any amount will make a difference and help us move closer to that goal. 

I greatly appreciate your support for Gina and all the other young people fighting this deadly disease!

All my best,  

Avery Leissner

2019 Students of the Year Candidate