Hello my name is Katie Blackwell, I am 16 years old and have been nominated to run for the 2020 Student of the Year!! Recently I have had a very good family friend of mine be diagnosed with Leukemia. His name is Jared Leadbetter and his daughter is my Godsister. Jared fought hard to stay alive and we are thankful everyday that he won the battle. This time period was very scary, stressful, and difficult to watch becasue of all the obstacles they faced. My Godsister, Victoria, dealt with a lot, and should not have had to face the suffering that cancer had brought upon family members. They faced constant challenges and fought through the awful circumstances that eventually made them stronger. After a long battle, Jared found out that he was finally cancer free! He was a lucky one and won the fight! We could not have been more happy and relieved to hear the news. When someone important to you is diagnosed with cancer, it feels like the world is slowly crushing you. I could not have imagined the way Jared felt. Thankfully he is now in remission and can finally live his life again!!! This is why I am so passionate about finding a cure for cancer! I do not want anyone to face what Jared and his family members had to go through. By participating in this campaign, I can assist people fighting cancer by helping provide some funding to cancer research. The students of the year campaign is an amazing push and I am so excited to be apart of this mission to find a cure for cancer!

sincerely, 

Katie Blackwell

I am honored to participate as a team member 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.