My name is Christian Yearwood, and I’ve accepted the nomination for the LLS Student Visionaries of the Year campaign. Why did I sign up to fundraise for LLS, you might ask? Well, my sister, Kayla, is my why. When she was 2 years old, she was diagnosed with leukemia. I remember my sister having to get her port accessed, taking chemotherapy by IV, getting bone marrow procedures, blood transfusions, and platelet transfusions. She even had to learn to swallow pills before she was 4 years old because some of her medicine only came in pill form. I also remember her losing her hair and being unable to go outside and play much.

We MUST find a cure for all cancers, but especially blood cancers, so that no other family will have to endure the heartaches and heartbreaks of this journey. My team, Just Cure It, intends to help do that. However, we can’t do it alone. We need help from people like you. Donations will increase the necessary funds to provide research assistance and could lead to clinical trials for some cancers that have no cure or for safer alternatives. Our honored hero, Evan, is a beneficiary of a clinical trial thanks to LLS. My family also received support from LLS through their patient aid program, among other things.

This is not my family’s first time fundraising for LLS as we’ve participated in at least one scheduled Light the Night Walk as Team Kayla or Team Legacy (our school team) since Kayla was diagnosed in 2012. My mom has also raised funds for LLS for her birthday campaign on Facebook. Kayla has also participated in the girl of the year campaign for both Houston and Montgomery County with her and my mom sharing Kayla’s story to bring awareness and raise funds for a cure. We love the work of LLS has done and continues to do and want to continue to help find cures for cancer on a larger scale, which sponsorships will help us accomplish.

Visionaries look to the future—and see infinite possibility.
They challenge the status quo—and make the impossible possible.
They boldly imagine a better world – and lead the charge to create it.

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society was built on that same vision - of a better world - one without blood cancers.

I am a visionary; I have a vision for a world without cancer, but I need your help.

This year, I’m proud to be a part of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) Student Visionaries of the Year Campaign, working to raise as much as possible for LLS’s mission.

As a global leader in the fight against blood cancer, LLS:

• 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.

Please consider joining this fight by making a donation. All donations are greatly appreciated and tax-deductible. Please visit my website often and tell friends who would also like to donate!

Thanks to your support, my efforts will help ensure this generation is the last to see cancer.

On behalf of blood cancer patients everywhere, thank you!

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