I am excited and honored to run as a Candidate for the 2021 Student of the Year campaign and to co-lead Team Crushin' It. This year the seven-week campaign to benefit The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society runs from January 14 to March 5. Our team’s goal is ambitious—to raise $90,000.00—because every 9 minutes someone loses their life to blood cancer. Together, with your help and support, we are looking forward to raising funds for this important organization.

My involvement in the campaign is very personal. My Nana, Shirley Jennings (pictured left below), was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma in 2009. Multiple Myeloma is a blood cancer with an average 5-year survival rate of 50%; 1 in 143 people is diagnosed. Her cancer progressed and she needed two years of treatment and a stem cell harvest. Luckily, she has been in remission since 2015 but must receive ongoing monitoring. Unfortunately, her brother-in-law and my great uncle, Dean Brown, passed away from Multiple Myeloma.

My Grandma, Dorothy Jaasma (pictured right above), was diagnosed in 2010 with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia, which is a different form of blood cancer. Her cancer progressed and resulted in a buildup of fluid around her lungs, requiring her to be hospitalized in 2014 at MD Anderson. Fortunately, she was able to participate in a clinical trial of a drug, which was partially funded by LLS, that helped her reach remission.

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society is the largest contributor to blood cancer research in the nation, and I am so grateful to still have both of my grandmothers with me today thanks to groundbreaking research and innovative medications and treatments that have helped both of them reach remission. And while the pandemic has canceled many things this year, cancer is not one of them. I know it has been a difficult year, and your finances may look different now than a year ago, but truly there is no amount too small. It would mean a lot to me if you would consider donating to our campaign. All donations are tax-deductible.

Large or small, your contribution to this worthy effort will be greatly appreciated.

Until There’s a Cure,

Juliana Jaasma

2021 Student of the Year Candidate