My name is Olivia Perez and I am a Junior at the Academy of the Holy Names who is currently working on the “Golden Group” team for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) Student of the Year campaign. For seven weeks, starting January 17th, 2019, my team, lead by the Academy of the Holy Names Juniors Katelyn Chau and Lauren Jones, will be raising awareness of the research, programs, and advocacy being conducted through the LLS. All of this is only possible through your support in the form of both donations and sponsorships. With your unwavering compassion, my team, alongside students from across the country, have the opportunity to beat blood cancer once and for all.

                    The main reason why I got involved in this campaign is my cousin, Owen Day.  Owen was the most enthusiastic person I knew, and ever will know. He always had something clever to say, that could make anyone laugh. In September of 2016, Owen became very sick. He visited the doctor repeatedly but was not getting better.  After countless rounds of antibiotics for what was deemed as “strep throat”, the doctor decided to do a blood test. That night, my cousin was rushed to the hospital and following, at that very institution, my family received the worst news of our lives: Owen had Leukemia. At the time, only twelve years old, Owen went through almost a year of chemo and a bone marrow transplant. Yet, due to the aggressive nature of his cancer, my cousin passed away on September 2, 2017, 23 days before his 13th birthday and almost a year to the day following his diagnosis. Seeing my cousin in so much pain hurt me in a way that words cannot, nor will ever, grasp. There was no way for me to help him feel better and the only relief came in prayer. So here I am, praying for a cure, and praying for you to be the one who aids in that effort, I am here for Owen and I am asking you to donate to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society to help children like him have a better chance of fighting this devastating disease.