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Three Ways My Connection to Cancer Reveals the Importance of DEI & Health Equity
Cancer has touched my life in immense ways.
Many of my loved ones would still be here today if it weren’t for various cancers taking them before their time. As a member of the Black community, I am reminded that these loved ones might still be alive if it weren’t for the color of their skin or their socioeconomic circumstances. The heartbreaking reality is anyone can be diagnosed with cancer—but not everyone can get the care they need.
Attention Hockey Fans: LLS and The National Hockey League Fight Cancer Together
LLS is teaming up with the National Hockey League (NHL®) and the National Hockey League Players’ Association’s (NHLPA) joint initiative, Hockey Fights Cancer™ annual campaign. This is LLS’s seventh season participating in HFC. The 18th annual Hockey Fights Cancer campaign kicks off on October 24 and runs until November 18.
Fighting Cancer Together: LLS and West Marine Kick off Annual Paper Sailboat Campaign
For the third consecutive year, during Blood Cancer Awareness Month, nearly 250 West Marine stores across the country are teaming up with The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) Leukemia Cup Regatta, to raise awareness for the urgent need to fund research to advance cancer cures. From September 1-30, West Marine customers can donate to LLS by purchasing a paper sailboat they can add their name to and display in the store where the donation was made. 100% of the proceeds will go LLS to help support the fight against cancer.
Supporting in vivo CAR development for blood cancers
In November 2020, LLS made an equity investment in Abintus Bio to "Support in vivo CAR Development for Blood Cancers." Abintus Bio is developing cutting-edge in vivo CAR therapies that allow for powerful CAR T cells to be generated directly in a patient’s body, eliminating the need for time-consuming and costly collection, engineering and re-infusion of patient T cells. Abintus plans to develop a portfolio of first-in-class product candidates that reprogram immune cells in vivo to eliminate tumors utilizing proprietary vectors and vector-engineering technologies.Remembering Cancer with a Tattoo, New Career and Anniversary Party
In Jon Christoffersen’s house, important occasions - such as the end of chemotherapy - are worthy of great celebration. First it was a tattoo to mark the beginning and end of his treatment, and now, on his 10-year anniversary of being cancer free, it’s time to party.
High School Student Proves Youngest Generation Can Make an Impact on Cancer Research and Cures
Ella Behnke of San Antonio, Texas, is a 16-year-old cheerleader who attends Alamo Heights High School and is making history, as the winner of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) national title “Student of the Year.” Ella raised more than $334,768 for LLS to invest in cancer cures with an intense seven-week fundraising campaign involving everything from a very active campaign team, social media activations to visiting cancer patients at the Children’s Hospital of San Antonio.
LLS Scholarship for Blood Cancer Survivors
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) knows how challenging it can be to plan for your future during or after cancer treatment. Hospital stays and interruptions in school may mean pausing your goals. And the high cost of cancer care can make affording higher education difficult.
A College Freshmen Faces A Cancer Diagnosis
The symptoms I habitually pushed off as stressors from my first semester of college, began to accumulate. Throughout the semester I felt less like my healthy self because of coughing, abnormal skin reactions, unexplainable fatigue and diminishing motivation.
Meet the Researcher: Omar Abdel-Wahab, MD
This is part of a periodic series of Q&A’s with LLS-funded researchers. Dr. Abdel-Wahab of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center focuses on an area of research called epigenetics – chemical modifications that regulate (switch on and off) gene activity. He is studying how these processes drive the development of acute myeloid leukemia and other blood cancers. He currently holds a Career Development Program grant from LLS, a program that supports scientists earlier in their careers.
Q. What is the focus of your research and its primary goal?
Stronger Together: Navigating Cancer as Newlyweds
As we round out our first year of marriage and our first year of battling cancer, I recently asked my husband Brad how he would describe this past year. “Disrupted.” Before cancer, we had plans: big, extravagant, travel-the-world kind of plans. After two years of a long-distance relationship, we were finally going to live in the same city. We were going to get settled in our brand-new home. We were going to make new Florida friends. We were excited about the opportunities we had in our careers. We were going to capitalize on the “newlywed phase” to the fullest extent!
Walgreens, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and Susan G. Komen Collaborating to Support Research in Tough-to-Treat Cancers and Increase Access to Care
In February, Walgreens launched their annual spring fundraiser for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and Susan G. Komen to enable research in tough-to-treat cancers and increase access to care with a pledge to contribute more than $25 million to the organizations, collectively, through 2024. Through a combination of online and in-store donations, the commitment enables research in metastatic breast and pediatric blood cancers, as well as increases access, treatment and support services for those living with these diseases.
Ask the Doctor Part 1: Five Questions about Leukemia
Leukemia Survivor, Myrrah Talks to Dr. Nichols about the Latest in Leukemia Research and Treatment
LLS Aligns with “Moonshot” Goal of Putting Patients at the Center of Cancer Care
The national “Moonshot” initiative is repeatedly making news headlines as the $1 billion effort designed to eliminate cancer has groundbreaking potential. Led by Vice President Joe Biden, the effort is focused on accelerating research and making more therapies available – and blood cancer patients have much to gain.
I recently joined an expert panel at the annual Milken Institute Global Conference, “Promise of the Cancer Moonshot,” to share The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) perspective about what needs to be done to move this effort forward.
One Family’s Inspiring Quest to Help Other Families Impacted By Cancer
A nasty cough and extreme fatigue first led Myrna and Lou Binder to bring their 12-year-old son, Jeff, to the doctor for an examination. But the flu-like symptoms persisted until more tests enabled the doctors to arrive at the shocking diagnosis: non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The year was 1975.
We Dare to Dream so Their Dreams Come True
Did you know that blood cancer is the most common cancer diagnosis for children, accounting for 40% of pediatric cancer cases? In fact, nearly 55,000 children and adolescents in the United States currently have blood cancer or are in remission from blood cancer.
Hollywood Cinematographer Climbing 12 Days for Cancer Cures
What happens when a group of nurses, doctors and cancer survivors of all ages come together to climb the highest mountain in Africa? History is made, and more importantly, lives are saved.
Lights, Camera, Action!
IRONMAN World Championships: 5-Star Team Races for Cancer Cures
After months of rigorous training, all five LLS Team In Training teammates finished at the 2017 IRONMAN World Championships in Kona, Hawaii on October 7. The team came together from across the U.S. and Canada to compete in the 140.6 mile iconic triathlon – raising an incredible $435,000 and counting, for blood cancer cures.After months of rigorous training, all five LLS Team In Training teammates finished at the 2017 IRONMAN World Championships in Kona, Hawaii on October 7. The team came together from across the U.S.
Meet the Researcher: Maria Figueroa, MD
Our “Meet the Researcher” series on The LLS Blog shares what our outstanding LLS-funded researchers are working on, the incredible impact they’re making in the fight against blood cancer, and what inspires their efforts to find better treatments and cures. Dr. Maria “Ken” Figueroa, Associate Professor and Co-Leader of the Cancer Epigenetics Research Program at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of the University of Miami Health System, is focused on an exciting area of research called epigenetics.
Random Acts of Light: Burlington and LLS Surprise Cancer Patient after Hurricane Harvey
Burlington Stores and The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) surprised Mateo Rubio – a three-year-old boy with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), and his mother, Ana Torres – each with a gift card to Burlington, to help bring light to the darkness of cancer and to help purchase new belongings following the destruction of their home in Hurricane Harvey.
Because of You, We're Helping to Cure Cancer
Here at The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS), we remain laser-focused on continuing to drive forward our mission. In fact, we are amplifying our efforts to help patients and caregivers access the care they need, during the coronavirus crisis and beyond. Thankfully, we have a vibrant community of dedicated volunteers across the country who are just as relentless as we are about making a difference in the lives of blood cancer patients and their families.
Meet the Researcher: Charlene Liao, PhD
Our “Meet the Researcher” series on The LLS Blog shares what our outstanding LLS-funded researchers are working on, the incredible impact they’re making in the fight against blood cancers, and what inspires their efforts to find better treatments and cures.
MY FIRST 100 DAYS AS LLS PRESIDENT & CEO
Dear Friends,
I’m just over 100 days into my new role as President & CEO of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) and I want to take this moment to say how grateful and proud I am to work alongside all of you in service of blood cancer patients and their families. It’s been great meeting many of you as I travel to our regions and meet with departments throughout the country. And I look forward to meeting many more of you in the months ahead.
Coming Soon: A Brave New World
Research is inching us closer to cures for blood cancer every day – among them, therapies that unleash the immune system, reprogramming of T-cells to track down cancer cells, and personalized treatments based on a patient’s genetic make-up.