Thank you for taking the time to visit my website and for considering supporting my and my fellow student visionaries’, Alec (right) & Sam’s (middle), efforts to raise funds for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS). First let me tell you a little bit about myself, my motivation to do this and then I’ll share how the money we raise will be spent. 

My name is Oliver, I am 17 years old and a junior at Palo Alto High School. I have a 20 year old brother who goes to college in New York City. I am in the Social Justice Pathway at my school, the co-founder and co-president of the Social Justice Club, I play on the Varsity Lacrosse team, I am a co-founder of “Palo Alto Pantry” (we cook and deliver food to a homeless shelter in partnership with LifeMoves), and I juggle a heavy academic load. So why am I doing this? The answer is simple. How can I not? Every single one of my grandparents have had cancer and I recently lost my Danish grandfather to cancer, my mom’s best high school friend battled cancer while we lived in Copenhagen a few years ago and I remember how my mom picked her up after every chemo treatment and walked her home and how worried and sad she was for her, and my paternal aunt Stephanie died from lymphoblastic lymphoma when she was just 22 years old. To think of losing my brother, who’s quite close in age to Stephanie when she passed away, is simply unfathomable. Even though I never got to meet Stephanie, I often look at pictures of her and think about what our relationship would have been like. The stories that I have been told and the look on my family’s face whenever she is mentioned tell me that she was a truly wonderful woman who I would have deeply admired. In a strange way I find myself missing her even though I never met her. It saddens me to imagine how devastated my dad, uncle, grandparents and anyone else who had the pleasure of knowing her must have been and still are because of her passing. 2 years ago, one of my best friend’s (Alec Bonnard’s) best friend (Sam Lilly), a fellow Paly student, was suddenly diagnosed with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, he was just 16 years old. I didn’t know him very well at the time, but through Alec have gotten to know him as well as seeing a glimpse into what Sam’s cancer journey has been like. Sam’s courage and emotional strength through it all and Alec’s support of his friend have both taught me humbling and inspirational lessons. So, when Alec and Sam asked me to join in their efforts to raise money for LLS’s mission, all the other things on my plate felt insignificant compared to this and I didn’t hesitate to agree to join team Combatting Cancer Collectively. That’s why I am now a proud member of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Student Visionaries of the Year Campaign, working to raise as much as possible for LLS’s mission, along side Sam and Alec, two of the most genuine young friends and role models anyone could wish for. Please visit their pages to read about their stories and reasons.  

Our leadership team of 3 has recruited other high school friends to join our efforts and in addition to becoming educated about LLS and its incredible impact, we lead team meetings, fundraise, and develop slideshows/pitches for organizations in an effort to get them to donate to LLS. 
 
As a global leader in the fight against blood cancer, the impact of LLS can be divided into 3 areas: 
•Funds cutting-edge research leading to breakthroughs in immunotherapy, genomics and personalized medicine that are improving and saving the lives of patients
•Provides free education and support for blood cancer patients and families, including personalized, one-on-one support, assistance with identifying and enrolling in clinical trials, and more.
•Mobilizes thousands of advocates to drive policy changes that accelerate the development of new cancer treatments and break down barriers to care.

Our team has decided that the funds we raise will go into the “Education and Support” bucket as we all agree that family members are the best support for cancer patients, but the family members need support and education themselves in order to be able to fully focus on helping their loved one in their battle against cancer. Please consider joining this fight and our efforts to make a positive difference by making a donation. All donations are greatly appreciated and tax-deductible. Please also share this website with friends who you think may consider donating. 

On behalf of Sam, Alec, myself, blood cancer patients and their loved ones everywhere, thank you for caring and contributing!

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