Each year, approximately 3500 kids are diagnosed with some form of Leukemia - making it the most common cancer in the pediatric population. But did you know that children with Down’s Syndrome (DS) have a 10-20 fold increased risk of developing leukemia? Many DS children develop a condition called Transient myeloproliferative disorder (TMD) very early in life which can turn into Acute myeloid leukemia (AML). And this is how we begin Maisie’s story. Maisie is a bubbly 2 years old who adores her older sisters, generously blows kisses, uses sign language to help her communicate, has the most adorable monkey imitation, and rocks her extra 21 chromosome - she is a Down’s Syndrome superstar. When she was 2 weeks old, her doctor noticed that she had abnormally looking cells and she was quickly diagnosed with TMD on a routine blood test. She was followed closely with blood checks for months and, like so many kids with DS, she was diagnosed with AML at 18 months of age. Maisie just finished her treatment for AML and now she and her parents wait, hope and pray that she will remain in full remission. However, for kids like Maisie, she is still at a much higher risk of developing another blood cancer at any time in her life, so her fight is never truly over.

Thank you for visiting my fundraising page, welcome!

I encourage you to join me in supporting The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) by making a donation to my fundraising campaign. By donating to LLS, you support the many facets of LLS’s mission work from investing in groundbreaking research, providing education and support to patients, and advocating at the state and federal level for legislation to help those living with cancer. My appreciation for your support cannot be overstated — each and every dollar donated to LLS brings us closer to our goal to end blood cancer and makes an impact for cancer patients and their families.

As a global leader in the fight to end cancer, LLS is committed to doing more for blood cancer patients and families than any organization in the world. LLS’s signature fundraising campaigns drive critical support for its mission, including a nearly $1.3 billion investment in cutting edge cancer research worldwide since it was founded in 1949. Since the 1960s, survival rates for many blood cancer patients have doubled, tripled, or even quadrupled.

Every facet of LLS’s mission – research, education and support, and policy and advocacy – work in harmony to put blood cancer patients and their families first. LLS has helped millions impacted by cancer throughout its more than 70-year history, even funding breakthrough blood cancer research to advance lifesaving treatments and cures that is now helping patients with other cancers and diseases. That is why at LLS we say that beating cancer is in our blood.

Please visit my website as often as you can and share it with everyone you know who would also like to join us in the fight against cancer. Together, we have the power, the passion and the resolve to achieve a world without blood cancer. All donations are tax-deductible.

On behalf of cancer patients and their families everywhere, I sincerely thank you for your support!

For more information about LLS, please visit lls.org