Hi!

I am honored to participate as a candidate for the 2020 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. I am proud to support 7-year-old Cormac, who is receiving treatment for leukemia, and am raising critical dollars in honor of him. While each story is moving, my friend Cormac’s experience of dealing with blood cancer serves as a vibrant example of the courageous, unwavering, and unyielding fight against these diseases. On January 24th, 2018, Cormac was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. He stayed at the American Family Children’s hospital for two weeks straight and received two transfusions of blood and platelets. Because the leukemia blasts had packed his bone marrow and crowded out all other parts of his blood, he started chemotherapy the day after his diagnosis.

After one month of treatment, he was moved into the very high-risk category and given aggressive chemo. Two months later, May 21st, 2018, Cormac was officially in remission. However, he must continue daily chemo treatment until May 21st, 2021. This will add up to 1211 days of total treatment.  Due to his leukemia, he has spent 29 inpatient nights at the hospital, had 9 trips to the emergency room, had 23 spinal taps, 2 port surgeries, and 3 bone marrow biopsies.

The candidate team that raises the most money at the end of the seven weeks is named Student 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.