I’m proud to have accepted the nomination for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) Man & Woman of the Year Campaign in honor of my late cousin, Ciro Leon (pictured below) and my friend and colleague, Abbey Turner (pictured above). My cousin Ciro bravely fought a tough battle with Leukemia and eventually passed away at the young age of 15 years old. He never made it to prom. He never got his driver’s license. My friend Abbey Turner is currently fighting Hodgkin Lymphoma and is winning. The first call she received after her diagnosis was from LLS, assuring her that they were there to help her. This was extremely comforting to Abbey, knowing that she wouldn’t be in this fight alone. They even helped her with the funds to start the egg freezing process so that one day she would still be able to have children. This is just a couple of the amazing services that LLS does to help people diagnosed with Leukemia and Lymphoma. I look forward to helping raise money for this awesome organization that provides hope to patients diagnosed with blood cancer. A kid should never miss his prom, nor should a 24-year-old be forced to shave her head and endure the excruciating effects of chemotherapy. I want to help save lives and improve treatments. I hope that you join me in this fight.

All of the proceeds of this race will go towards improving awareness of the research, programs, and advocacy being conducted through LLS in addition to funds to support their mission to cure blood cancers.

As you know, everyone wins when cancer loses. Thanks to your support, my efforts will help fund therapies and treatments that are saving lives. Over the years, support from people like you has been responsible for the blood cancer advancements that have doubled, tripled, and in some cases quadrupled the survival rate.

We truly are getting close to our goal of a world without blood cancers!

All donations are greatly appreciated and tax-deductible. They'll not only support LLS research, but patient services, advocacy, public and professional education, and community services as well.

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

Sincerely,

Keri Suhy