Welcome To My Fundraising Page.

My name is Rithvik Katikaneni, a junior at Bridgeland High School, and I have signed up to save lives with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS). I am working to raise as much as possible over the next 7 weeks to support both research and treatment to help as many people whose lives this disease has destroyed. Every dollar raised counts as one vote for my campaign and one life changed. The candidate(s) whose team tallies the most votes earns the prestigious title of Student or Students of the Year. Will you help me earn that title? Will you help the countless souls affected by this disease? Will you help me make a difference?

 My connection toward this program has allowed me to learn much about blood cancers in my young life which will fuel my campaign with hard work and dedication. When I was as young as 7 years old, I first heard the word cancer when my mother was diagnosed with Diffuse Large B Cell Non - Hodgkin's Lymphoma. After hearing the word cancer, my entire family fell apart as if the world was ending. Due to my young age I had yet to truly understand the gravity of our current situation. As my family moved from New Jersey to Philadelphia to Houston, I realized the toll a single word: Cancer could have upon our lives. During this time, my mother was spending most of her days in the hospital while my father was traveling from Houston to New Jersey to work while also supporting my mother. As you may imagine, my brother and I were extremely distraught and confused during this time as there seemed to be no end in sight and that all hope was lost of us being a whole family once again. However, due to a last ditch new type of stem cell transplant from my uncle, my mother finally beat her disease and has been in remission for the last 8 years. The incredible research and work done by her doctors had in fact saved her life. Therefore, I learned the true importance of continued research and treatment against this terrible disease. However, my story was yet to end after my mother's remission . Approximately 7 years after my mother's diagnosis in June of 2019, my father Dr Ramkumar Katikaneni was diagnosed with Diffuse Large B cell Non - Hodgkin's Lymphoma just like my mother. This had shocked my entire family to the core. There was no medical reason why 2 non - related people should get the same cancer when it is not viral or environmental. During this time, I had seen enough to understand the treachery behind cancer and how it can destroy a family's home life. This time, my mother was with my father in the hospital almost everyday which led me to go through my first 2 years of high school by myself without much advice or help from anyone. Although my father went into remission in August of 2019, there were still countless appointments and hindrances which this disease had brought onto our family. From medical bills to Covid forcing my father to be extremely careful with his health after chemotherapy there were many moments where my family was giving up. Then, we had to endure the toughest news yet when my father had a relapse in August of 2020. During this time, the doctors at MD Anderson had realized that a Stem Cell Transplant was required. Therefore, on top of Covid and School I had to now become a Bone Marrow Donor for my father. After some research and finding more knowledge I understood what had been asked of me and was extremely proud and ready to undergo the transplant. However, the process with numerous drugs and blood draws was grueling, but I kept the belief in the back of my mind that I would be helping the person who helped me all my life: My dad. In the end, I successfully gave my stem cells and fought through the pain, but sadly my father did pass away in November of 2020 to different complications. Although my story did not have a truly happy ending, I used my father's and family's journey to further educate myself on the perils of cancer and its effect on our society. I continued to try and make my mother and father proud over these last few years through small school achievements and fundraisers, however; after finding the Student of the Year LLS Program I knew this was what I had to do to continue my fathers legacy. This program and company have given millions of people around the world hope and allowed them to see the light at the end of the tunnel, so I just want to give these families a little bit of what I could not have. 

 
As you know, everyone wins when cancer loses. Thanks to your support, my efforts will help fund therapies and treatments that are saving lives. Over the years, support from people like you has been responsible for the blood cancer advancements that have doubled, tripled, and in some cases quadrupled the survival rate for some blood cancers.
 
Many LLS-supported therapies not only help blood cancer patients but are also now used to treat patients with rare forms of stomach and skin cancers and are in clinical trials for patients with lung, brain, breast, pancreatic and prostate cancers. And LLS-funded drugs like targeted therapies and immunotherapies are now saving thousands of lives every day.
 
We really are getting close to our goal of a world without blood cancers!
 
All donations are greatly appreciated and tax-deductible. They'll not only support LLS research, but patient services, advocacy, public and professional education, and community services as well.
 
Please visit my website often and tell friends who would also like to donate!
 
On behalf of blood cancer patients everywhere, thank you for your support! Thank you for helping me honor both my mother and father! Thank you for helping fellow humans in their darkest hour! For more information about LLS, please visit www.lls.org