THIS is why I am raising money! 

There are just 2 DAYS until the end of the Student Visionaries competition, where every dollar raised, is a vote for our team to be Visionaries of the Year! And now, with my final plea, I have an amazing story to share with you.

As you know, 10 years ago my grandmother, Ginger "Gigi" Upton, passed away from a relapsing case of Acute Large B-cell Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. At 7 years old, her death was something I didn't fully understand, but I knew I had lost someone I loved very much and who loved me possibly even more. It devastated my mom, my aunt, my grandfather and countless other family and friends. Our family would never be the same. Fortunately, the following year someone asked my mom to get involved with this wonderful organization, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. My mom agreed to do their Visionary Campaign (formally the Man & Woman of the Year Campaign), and as she will tell you, being a part of the competition really saved her from the extreme grief she was drowning in. During her campaign she raised $241,000, but she always says that LLS gave her way more than she could ever raise in return. 

Fast forward 9 years and my mom has stayed very involved with LLS and now currently sits on the Gulf Coast Chapter's board. She believes in the organization and the good work they do to advance research, support patients, and advocate for better outcomes. She has confidence that by working with LLS she is getting back at the cancer that took so much from us. I believe that too, and that is why I accepted this opportunity to lead a team for their Student Visionary Competition. It has been a great journey where I have learned valuable life skills and seen the amazing generosity of so many people all around me and my team. 

BUT THIS WEEK SOMETHING AMAZING HAPPENED!

LLS posted this on their Facebook page...

A new treatment was approved for EXACTLYwhat Gigi passed away from. A NEW, LLS FUNDED treatment for those with Large B-cell Lymphoma that has returned. Did the money my mom raised 9 years ago have something to do with that...ABSOLUTELY!  She texted this post to me and said she was in the grocery store parking lot with tears of joy streaming down her face. We aren't just trying to win a competition, we are trying to SAVE LIVES!

THE MONEY YOU DONATE DOES MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

The campaign is ALMOST OVER, it ends this Saturday! To those who have already donated, your generosity has meant the world to me and my family. This is our LAST CHANCE to make an impact on the fight against all of these cancers, diseases and conditions! Our team has an ambitious goal and while we have made great progress, we still have some work to do to reach this goal! I’d be honored if you could help me close this gap with a contribution big or small, and as this week has proven to me, they all make a difference!!

Until there's a cure, Patrick Daily

We are just DAYS AWAY from the end of the Student Visionaries competition, where every dollar raised, is a vote for our team to be Visionaries of the Year! While this is a friendly competition, and has been a lot of fun with all of the challenges and incentives, I don't want to lose sight of why we are doing this. We are doing this to raise money for LLS which supports blood cancer research, the patients and families of those battling these cancers, and to advocate for lower drug costs and insurance protections, and SO MUCH MORE!

Unfortunately, a lot of us have been personally touched by blood cancer, and that is how I originally got involved. To fight back against the cancer that took Gigi from us. But as I learned more about LLS and blood cancer research, I saw how much of an impact it has on so many other health issues, diseases and different types of cancer. Know anyone who has benefited from chemotherapy? That was a treatment developed through blood cancer research! Blood cancer research has also helped with therapies and treatments for a wide variety of autoimmune disorders like Rheumatoid Arthritis, Lupus, Multiple Sclerosis, and Type 1 Diabetes. Scientists are using blood cancer research to find out more about Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Sickle Cell Anemia, and Crohn's disease, to name a few, and developing tools to better detect other cancers, diseases, and even heart conditions!

To put it plainly

WE ALL BENEFIT FROM BLOOD CANCER RESEARCH!

The campaign is ALMOST OVER, it ends this Saturday! This is our LAST CHANCE to make an impact on the fight against all of these cancers, diseases and conditions! Our team is trying to raise $400,000 and while we have made great progress, we still have some work to do! I’d be honored if you could help me close this gap with a contribution big or small, they all make a difference!

Until there's a cure, Patrick Daily