Sherry Ellis, also known as "mammaw", was Ava's grandmother.  She passed away on November 8, 2018, following a lengthy illness with various types of cancer.  She was initially diagnosed with breast cancer in 1998 and again in 2004 and it was during this time that she was also diagnosed with Waldenstrom's Macroglobulinemia a type of blood cancer/lymphoma.  When she was originally diagnosed, this type of cancer was rare and affected more men than women.  Sherry was seen on multiple occasions at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester MN.  She courageously fought this disease for 20 yrs before passing away from complications of the Waldenstrom's and new diagnosis of colon cancer.  During her journey, she participated in clinical trials and underwent several courses of chemotherapy and other medical treatments.  At the time of her original diagnosis of Waldenstrom's, she and her family were told that while there was no cure for this type of cancer, that it was treatable and during her illness, the life expectancy increased (original life expectancy was 4 yrs). She underwent many treatments that were successful in delaying her disease process but experienced many side effects and again was diagnosed with Myelodysplastic syndrome believed to be caused by all the extensive chemotherapy that she received.  Ava and her family watched her lose her mobility and the ability to use her hands and she relied on many adaptations to make her life as fulfilled and productive as possible.  She experienced numbness and pain in her hands and feet, had to have fluid removed from her chest many times and ended up with heart, kidney and liver issues as a result of her longstanding cancer diagnosis and the strong medications that kept it at bay.  Unfortunately, these detrimental side effects were eventually too severe for her body to overcome.  She is greatly missed by her husband of nearly 50 yrs,Jack Ellis, her daughter Shanna (husband Terry). son Todd (wife Angie) and grandchildren Raechel, Ava, Wesley, and Lauren.  She strived to continue to live an active life and doted on her grandchildren endlessly.  She enjoyed swinging on the front porch and looking over the fields of the farm she lived on, taking girl's trips with her daughter and granddaughters, spending time with her husband and friends and participating in many family traditions with her children and grandchildren.  While she is missed terribly, her family takes comfort that during the years that she battled the cancer diseases that she was able to live what she described as a "good life" and would often say that others had it so much worse than she did.  She consistently kept a positive attitude and through the miracle of modern medicine (even though she had many side effects) along with her strong, never-ending faith, she was able to enjoy the years with the people who meant the world to her.

We are honored to participate as a team for the 2020 Students of the Year program, a seven-week initiative in which select high school students from around the country participate in a fundraising competition to benefit The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. I am proud to support my candidate and am raising critical dollars in honor of a young patient hero who is currently battling or is in remission from a blood cancer. Each dollar is a vote. The candidate team that raises the most money at the end of the seven weeks is named Student of the Year. Our mission is to not only raise the most money but also to bring attention to blood cancers like leukemia, which is the most common form of cancer in children and teens.

Since the early 1960s, five-year survival rates for many blood cancer patients have doubled, tripled or even quadrupled. And many LLS supported therapies not only help blood cancer patients but are helping patients with other cancers and serious diseases. In fact, drugs first approved for blood cancers are now approved to treat patients with stomach cancers, skin cancers, and autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis.

We really are changing the face of blood cancer!

All donations are greatly appreciated and are tax deductible. They'll not only support LLS-funded research but will help provide critical information and support for patients, and support advocacy for laws to ensure patients can access the care and treatments they need.

Please visit our website often and bring friends who would also like to donate!

On behalf of blood cancer patients everywhere, thank you for your support!

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