I have been selected to participate in a leadership development program to help more than 1.6 million Americans who are living with blood cancer. My campaign team, Taking Cancer by the Horns, and I are competing in The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) Student Visionaries of the Year campaign! We recently kicked off our 7-week journey to help LLS raise money and achieve its mission: to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease, and myeloma and to improve the quality of life of patients and their families. Unfortunately, like so many families, mine has been personally affected by cancer.

In December 2013, my grandma, Ginger Kramer Upton Daily (Gigi), was diagnosed with Large B-cell Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. She began treatment immediately and was in remission before her chemotherapy protocol was complete. My family was elated! She had beaten cancer and our lives could go back to normal. But a couple months later, the lymphoma came blazing back. She fought for months, but ultimately lost her battle with Lymphoma within a year of her initial diagnosis. I was only 7 when she passed away and have very few, but very precious, memories of her. Since then, LLS funded groundbreaking research and, in 2022, this resulted in the approval of CAR T-Cell therapy for treatment of patients with Large B-Cell Lymphoma who relapsed within 12 months. This LLS funded research and therapy could have saved my Gigi’s life, and that is why it is so important to me that I do all I can to help LLS raise money through the Student Visionary campaign. I only had 7 years with my Gigi, but by raising this money, I know I can honor her by helping to give more time to families of loved ones battling blood cancer.

Gigi was a huge fan of the Texas Longhorns, and that is the inspiration behind our team name. Will you help me take cancer by the horns and make an impact on the fight to end blood cancers? Our team goal is to raise $517,000 between now and March 1st, 2025. We are determined to achieve this goal and your contribution - large or small - would be so much appreciated! To donate online please visit my fundraising website, https://events.lls.org/txg/svoyhouston25/PDaily and click on the “Donate Today” link. The following page has specific donation instructions. Aside from donations, we would love to hear from you or someone you know who would like to sponsor the Grand Finale on Saturday, March 1st, or other possible fundraising opportunities.

If you have any questions, please contact me at takingcancerbythehorns@gmail.com or visit https://www.llsstudentvisionaries.org/. Thank you in advance for supporting Team Taking Cancer by the Horns. Please follow us on Instagram @takingcancerbythehorns as we share our fundraising journey over the next 7 weeks. On behalf of all blood cancer patients and their families everywhere, thank you so much for your generosity and support! Your donation will make a difference!

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