Up until recently, my father’s cancer was a thing of the past. I knew a little about his treatment but the specifics had been swept under the rug. When a school project provided my twin sister with an opportunity to research a specific cancer, she talked to our dad and learned more about his experience. When he was a teenager, he was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma. His treatment was long and arduous, as many cancer treatments are, and it impacted every area of his life. His family was disrupted, his body changed, his treatment was costly and his social life was near impossible to maintain. Throughout all of these challenges, people were there to help him. His parents and brother, of course, but help came from all kinds of places. Teachers and classmates cheered him on and boosted his spirits on hard days, neighbors provided food and rides when they could and family reached out across the country to support my Dad. Ellie and I know that without this wide network of support, our father wouldn’t be with us today and we are forever grateful that his community stepped up. The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society is stepping up for patients and their families around the country and I am so proud to say I am too. I have joined my sisters team and am stepping up to support those in my community with blood cancer, to make sure they do not feel alone. Maybe one day one of the patients we are able to help will have a family, maybe they’ll have a daughter or son who discovers what we have discovered, maybe they too will be inspired to make a difference. Maybe you will be inspired to make a difference too.

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.