2015 - Colin had just finished chemo 

December 2018 - Christmas vacation!

We are siblings Erin and Ryan Allison.  Five years ago our big brother Colin was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma.  At that time, he was a sophomore in high school.  After the diagnosis he underwent 3 surgeries and chemotherapy. Throughout this process, Colin always kept a smile on his face and maintained a positive attitude.

Colin was in disease remission in his senior year of high school.  He is currently in his 3rd year of engineering school at the University of Virginia.  Everything seemed to be going well.  Colin traveled to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in August for his last follow up appointment.  This was supposed to be a happy visit to say thanks and goodbye to his outstanding doctor and nurses. Instead, he received some bad news.  No, the lymphoma had not returned.  Instead, he was found to have CML (Chronic Myeloid Leukemia), another form of blood cancer.  We were all devastated by this news.  It didn’t seem fair.

Colin is currently being treated for CML and remains as positive as ever.  Fortunately, due to very recent groundbreaking research, the treatment for his phase of CML consists of taking a pill daily.  This treatment has greatly increased the chance of his living a very long life.

Having our brother diagnosed with not one, but two forms of blood cancer has been tough for us. We decided we wanted to help other people who are diagnosed with cancer.  So we decided to contact The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS). They informed us of a program called Students of the Year, which is a seven-week fundraising campaign that lasts from January 19, 2019 through March 9, 2019. Our team, Team Allison, is working hard to reach our fundraising goal of $20,000, so that we may link our team’s name to a cutting edge research portfolio in honor of Colin.  In order to reach our goal, we need your help!

ABOUT SOY - STUDENT OF THE YEAR !

We are honored to participate in the 2019 Students of the Year program, a seven-week initiative in which select high school students from around the country participate in a fundraising competition to benefit The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. We are proud to be raising critical dollars in honor of a young patient hero who is currently battling or is in remission from a blood cancer. Each dollar is a vote. The candidate team that raises the most money at the end of the seven weeks is named Student(s) of the Year. Our mission is to not only raise the most money but also to bring attention to blood cancers like leukemia, which is the most common form of cancer in children and teens.

Since the early 1960s, five-year survival rates for many blood cancer patients have doubled, tripled or even quadrupled. And many LLS supported therapies not only help blood cancer patients but are helping patients with other cancers and serious diseases. In fact, drugs first approved for blood cancers are now approved to treat patients with stomach cancers, skin cancers, and autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis.

We really are changing the face of blood cancer!

All donations are greatly appreciated and are tax deductible. They'll not only support LLS-funded research but will help provide critical information and support for patients, and support advocacy for laws to ensure patients can access the care and treatments they need.

Please visit our website often and bring friends who would also like to donate!

On behalf of blood cancer patients everywhere, thank you for your support!

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