We, Paige Arndt and Emily McKendry, 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 these very common cancers that can unfortunately effect many families.

This is especially important to me, Paige, because my brother Colin was unexpectedly diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma on June 18, 2018 after the removal of an enlarged lymph node in his neck. Before removing it, blood tests and a biopsy confirmed it was negative for cancer. I remember the day my parents told me that it was cancer and it was the most heartbreaking moment of my life. And what a terrible time to be diagnosed, five days before his high school graduation! I had to take a final exam the day after I found out and I have know idea how anyone would be able to concentrate. He should've been having the time of his life and enjoying that summer before moving away to school.

Colin continued to graduate from Clarence High School and moved on to college, at the University of Albany, majoring in Homeland Security. He would have to continue going to Roswell every three months. In September, they noticed he had a lymph node that had grown, next to his previous one. The doctors at Roswell wanted to wait and check in three months to see if it grew any larger. In December, they took scans and saw the change of its size. Colin was scheduled for surgery the day after Christmas and the plan was to wait for the pathology results to come back. If this enlarged lymph node is Hdogkin's again, then they will move onto chemotherapy.

On New Year's Eve, the doctors called my mom to tell her that the cancer came back. Colin was scheduled for three rounds of chemo throughout January and February. Colin last day of chemo was February 26th, 2019. 

I'm so extremely proud of him for not letting this ruin his life and for his strength. Colin transferred to the University at Buffalo and is currently majoring in Sociology and Criminology. He is a volunteer firefighter at Clarence Fire District and he spends most of his free time there. Even though he was going through chemo, that didn't stop him from going to school, fire calls, or EMT training. I'm extremely proud to call him my brother and best friend. 

I'm honored to have Emily McKendry be my co-candidate, as she has been a great friend and neighbor for so many years. She's a great person and I wasn't surprised how eager she was to help me raise money for such an amazing cause. 

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.