Greater Los Angeles Region Kicks Off Blood Cancer Awareness Month

(Los Angeles, CA 9/3/2020) – Having blood cancer is tough. Having blood cancer now is even tougher. Blood Cancer Awareness Month in September provides an opportunity to remind the public about the urgent need to support research to fight this deadly disease — a disease that is diagnosed every three minutes in the U.S. and has no current means of prevention. As the global leader in the fight against blood cancer, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS)  Greater Los Angeles Region is working tirelessly to find cures and provide more support for blood cancer patients and families than any organization in the world.

Local investments for Greater Los Angeles Region includes: 

• Funding $8 million in lifesaving research at California Institutions, including City of Hope and USC.
• Providing education and supportive services to 1,500 local patients, caregivers and healthcare professionals including $1.4M in direct financial support to help ease the financial burden of cancer treatment through our copay assistance, patient aid, urgent need, and travel assistance programs.
• Helping 500 patients locally with over $100,000 in financial resources through a COVID-19 relief fund.

“The global COVID-19 pandemic is magnifying the issues patients face beyond health concerns to include added distress, new financial worries, loneliness and uncertainty,” said Shannon Sullivan, LLS Greater Los Angeles Executive Director. “As the leading source of free blood cancer information, education and support, LLS is amplifying our trusted services to help patients, survivors, caregivers, families and healthcare professionals when it’s needed most.”

LLS is urging all blood cancer patients and their caregivers to learn about the multitude of free support services available to them, including:

• Free one-on-one support to help blood cancer patients and families throughout their entire cancer experience. LLS Information Specialists are master’s level oncology professionals who provide free, personalized assistance to patients, families and healthcare providers. To contact an Information Specialist about disease, treatment and support information and resources call (800) 955-4572, Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. ET.
• LLS Clinical Trial Nurse Navigators are registered nurses with expertise in blood cancers who conduct comprehensive clinical trial searches and personally assist patients, parents and caregivers throughout the entire clinical trial process.
• LLS’s registered dietitian has expertise in oncology nutrition and provides patients, parents and caregivers with free nutrition consultations.

Individuals and communities nationwide are tapping into their inner creativity and survival skills to pivot to, at least for now, a virtual way of living. This year, LLS’s Greater Los Angeles Region will host its annual signature fundraising campaign, Light The Night Walk, as a virtual event. LLS’s Greater Los Angeles’s Region will host its 2020 Light The Night virtual event on Saturday, November 7th.

“Nothing can stop our light from shining bright,” said Sullivan. “Nothing, not even a global pandemic, can stop us from remembering those we’ve lost, celebrating those who have survived and forging ahead for the nearly 1.4 million people in the U.S. living with or in remission from a blood cancer. We are encouraging individuals and families in our community to join our virtual Light The Night, our largest fundraising campaign that fuels the LLS mission.” 

September is also Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, making this an important time to talk about the need to take a bold new approach to helping children with cancer. Through The LLS Children’s Initiative, a $100 million multi-year endeavor, LLS is committed to helping children not only survive their cancer but thrive in their lives after treatment.

Join LLS, and raise awareness for blood cancer patients in September. Everyone can make an impact. Learn more about LLS’s mission, volunteer, register for Light The Night or donate to LLS directly. Help blood cancer patients now, visit www.LLS.org/GLA to learn more.

About The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society® (LLS) is a global leader in the fight against cancer. The LLS mission: Cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families. LLS funds lifesaving blood cancer research around the world, provides free information and support services, and is the voice for all blood cancer patients seeking access to quality, affordable, coordinated care. 

Founded in 1949 and headquartered in Rye Brook, NY, LLS has chapters throughout the United States and Canada. To learn more, visit www.LLS.org. Patients should contact the Information Resource Center at (800) 955-4572, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. ET.

For additional information visit lls.org/lls-newsnetwork. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

The LLS Children’s Initiative: Cures and Care for Children with Cancer

The LLS Children’s Initiative, is a $100 million multi-year effort to take on children’s cancer through every facet of LLS’s mission: research, patient education and support and policy and advocacy. The LLS Children’s Initiative includes: more pediatric research grants, a global precision medicine clinical trial, expanded free education and support services for children and families and driving policies and laws that break down barriers to care. To learn more, visit www.lls.org/childrens-initiative.

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