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Every 10 minutes, someone in the U.S. dies of a blood cancer... and you can help change that.

This is me... asking your help.

Dear Friends,

Many of you know that I have been a nurse in the Adult Bone Marrow Transplant (ABMT) Program for the past 16 years. I am extremely proud of the work we do. I have seen lives saved; indeed, I have seen patients return to our annual reunion more than 20 years after transplant sharing how blessed they feel to be able to celebrate another year of living.

A technician from our program prepares stem cells.
But today I want to share another sort of story: that of a woman in her mid-20's who discovered that she had cancer shortly after she and her husband had their first child. This woman went through repeated rounds of extremely tough chemotherapy, but her disease proved tougher than anything we could offer. I listened to her physician offer her three options. First, another round of very rigorous chemotherapy followed by 4-6 weeks in the hospital recovering; the doctor told her that she might have a 1-2% chance of attaining a remission and being able to proceed to transplant and, hopefully, a cure. Second, to go home and receive “gentler chemotherapy” in an attempt to suppress the growth of her cancer and to enable her to have some time with her family. Third, to receive home hospice services which would help her manage her symptoms in the home for the weeks or months she might have left.

This young woman may be able to beat the odds, but the odds are great indeed. So in her honor, I would like to ask you to help join with our team as we raise funds to support the work of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) by making a donation to our fundraising campaign for the LLS Woman of the Year. I am part of a team working to raise as much as possible in a 10-week period. Every dollar we raise counts as one vote and the candidate who gets the most votes/raises the most money is named the Man or Woman of the Year.

Stefanie Stephanopoulos, MD PhD
Dr. Stefanie Sarantopoulos is a valuable member of our ABMT team. She primarily focuses on the treatment of patients with leukemia and lymphoma. She also researches ways to improve outcomes following bone marrow and stem cell transplantation. She is energetic and energized… committed to helping us progress toward finding a cure for blood cancers. I would really like to see her win and be named LLS Woman of the Year. But more than that, I would like to see us gain victory over cancer.

Over the years, support from people like you has been responsible for the advancements that have doubled, tripled, and in some cases quadrupled the survival rate for some blood cancers. And many LLS supported therapies not only help blood cancer patients, but are also now used to treat patients with rare forms of stomach and skin cancers. They are being studied in clinical trials for patients with lung, brain, breast, pancreatic and prostate cancers. In addition, LLS-funded drugs like targeted therapies and immunotherapies are now saving thousands of lives… lives like those of the young woman I mentioned earlier.

All donations are greatly appreciated and tax deductible. They will support LLS research as well as patient services, advocacy, public and professional education, and community services. I hope you will join me in making a secure donation by clicking the "donate" button found at this link or by sending a check made payable to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society at 401 Harrison Oaks Blvd, Suite 200, Cary NC 27513 by April 28, 2016. Please include Sue Roth - Team Life Sabers in the memo line of your check. Each donation made in this way will help our team progress toward our fundraising goal of $88,000. And please tell friends who would also like to donate – just send them to this link.

On behalf of myself and especially on behalf of blood cancer patients everywhere, thank you for your support!

Love,

Sue

OH - P.S. - Donate to the campaign through this link to be eligible to win one of the following prizes:

First prize - a $20 gift certificate to Amazon.com
Second prize - two 5x7" prints of any photographs which have been posted on my site... your choice!
Third prize - two 4x6" prints of any photographs which have been posted on my site... your choice!
I support the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society!


64 comments:

  1. I will be donating when I get paid next week. What a great cause and I would like to see victory also.

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  2. Sue, I lost a dear friend to Ovarian Cancer last year and two days after she passed away her 31 year old son died of lymphoma, which he bravely fought for over a year. It was heartbreaking. I will come back as soon as I can tomorrow and leave a donation. God bless this young mother--I pray for her remission and cure! PS: I was on the bone marrow donation list for many years and was almost a donor once for a complete strangler, until a better match happened to be found.

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    1. I'm so sorry for the loss of your friend and her son. What a tragic loss for their friends and family to see both of them succumb of cancer within such a short time.

      I too was on the registry. (I'm old enough now that my name will most likely have been removed). It means so much to a patient to know that someone has given stem cells on behalf of a stranger. Each year at our BMT Patient Reunion, a patient meets their donor for the first time. It never fails to bring tears to my eyes.

      Thank you for your donation. It means a lot!

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  3. Someone I know is in the hospital waiting for a bone marrow transplant as well. You do such important work!

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    1. I wish your friend a successful transplant and good health in years to come!

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  4. Great post and the beautiful idea of helping the sick !
    Greetings

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  5. thank you ver much for these interesting post.
    Very good.
    best regards susa

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    1. Thank you, Susa. Please pray for the success of the work of this great organization!

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  6. I cannot all understand, my English is to little for big texts. I should give money - that I cannot do, because I haven't enough money for self alimentaring (I get my foods from a Charity org.) and remedies, eyeglasses and what I urgent need. I understand, that many people need help and I donate my blood regularly, here in Germany. That is all, what I can do. Sorry and best wishes -

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    1. Mascha, do not feel bad if you cannot afford to donate money. As a blood donor, you are giving something very precious.
      Have a great week!

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  7. So sorry. I do not live in USA. I hope many donating people would appear soon. Thanks for sharing.

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  8. Thank you Sue for all that you and the team seek to do to help ordinary people beat these diseases. My own father is a recovering lymphoma patient, so we truly appreciate the efforts made by all.

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    1. So glad to know that your dad is recovering. I hope he continues to do well!

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  9. Nice to see a WW post being used for such a good purpose. Well done.

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  10. Thank you, Sue, for this report. I am a blood donor and registered as a bone marrow donor since many years, in hope to help someone in need with it. I keep my fingers crossed for this young woman to beat the odds and cure.
    Best wishes Moni

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    1. Thank you for being a blood donor and for joining the bone marrow registry!

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  11. Hi Sue, I have visited the fundraising page and made a donation. You all are doing great work.
    My first experience with Leukemia was with a little girl I babysat, that was many many years ago and before they found ways to help. Thanks for all you are doing for awareness!!
    I also shared your message on Twitter.
    Karren~

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    1. Thank you, Karen! Every little bit helps in the fight against cancer!

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  12. My husbands grandmother died of this disease! We have lost too many friends this winter to cancer! I am ready for us to kick cancer to the curb.

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  13. What a wonderful cause - it's a horrible disease!

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    1. Yes it is a horrible disease, but progress is being made in the treatment of many cancers - thanks to organizations such as the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and to those who support them!

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  14. Thanks for hosting and the best of luck to your project. Groetjes,
    Hetty

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  15. Blood cancers and disorders became part of my life nearly 30 years ago. So much progress has been made thanks to people like yourself...those professionals who devote their lives to fighting for others, Sue!...:)JP

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  16. Great post Sue and a very important one. All too many of us have lost family and friends to this terrible illness.

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    1. So true. I'm grateful for the progress which has been made since I started in nursing many years ago, and pray it will continue!

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  17. Thank you for the work that you do! Praying for that young mother. Wishing you all the best with the fundraiser. God bless.

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  18. Cancer touches everyone in some for or other, either ourselves or someone we know. My daughter-in-laws mother died from a blood cancer discovered too late for treatment. And recently our neighbour. We donate here in Australia. Keep up the good work.

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    1. I'm so sorry for the losses you've experienced. Best wishes to the researchers in Australia - and thanks for donating to them!

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  19. This is a great cause especially that I went through a BMT myself.

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  20. Hi Sue,
    a very good and interesting contribution! In Germany, I take part in such actions and I wish you every success with your call!

    All the best to you, Joana

    Sorry, my english is nocht so good... ;((

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    1. Your English is wonderful - it sure beats my German!!!
      Thank you for your well wishes.

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  21. Thank you for giving of yourself and for sharing this! Cancer is s scourge. Hoping you raise the money your organization needs!

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  22. I hope the doctors will find a way to help that young women. We need more research to beat cancer. I know way too many people who have either lost the battle or are cancer survivors. Good luck raising funds!

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  23. Congratulations for your outstanding work and I wish you to reach your goal! About your question, this is the Wiki answer in few words: "Chapultepec, more commonly called the "Bosque de Chapultepec" (Chapultepec Forest) in Mexico City, is one of the largest city parks in the Western Hemisphere, measuring in total just over 686 hectares (1,695 acres). Centered on a rock formation called Chapultepec Hill, one of the park's main functions is to be an ecological space in the vast megalopolis. It is considered the first and most important of Mexico City's "lungs", with trees that replenish oxygen to the Valley of Mexico. The park area has been inhabited and held as special since the Pre-Columbian era, when it became a retreat for Aztec rulers. In the colonial period, Chapultepec Castle would be built here, eventually becoming the official residence of Mexican heads of state. It would remain such until 1940, when it was moved to another part of the park called Los Pinos. Today, the park is divided into three sections, with the first section being the oldest and most visited. This section contains most of the park's attractions including its zoo, the Museum of Anthropology, the Rufino Tamayo Museum, and more. It receives an estimated 15 million visitors per year." (The toy horses are part of the tools of a street photographer to make pictures of children, he sells the prints for US $ 1.50 or so). Best Regards!

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    1. Thank you for your good wishes and for the information about Chapuitepec. Very interesting!

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  24. What a sweet post! My prayers and well wishes are yours!

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    1. Thanks, Kisma. I appreciate your good thoughts and especially your prayers.

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  25. Cancer sucks. We have lost family and friends to this horrible disease, and have family who are battling it now. Thank you for this project, and for your great post, which I will share on Twitter!

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    1. Cancer DOES such. I'm a two-time cancer survivor (two different kinds), fortunately in good health now, but I too have lost loved ones to this disease. It is the work of organizations such as the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society which will enable researchers to make still more progress in the battle against cancer.
      Thanks for your thoughts and well wishes.

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  26. This is a lovely and thoughtful post Sue - as soon as I can donate, I will do. (Just waiting to be paid!) Thank you for always organising this link-up, it brightens my Wednesdays. - Tasha

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    1. Thank you, Natasha. I do truly appreciate your well wishes and generosity.

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  27. We donate here, and for a very special reason. Our 35 year old son, the father of four little ones, is battling Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. We know too, too much about this terrible cancer. I wish you a huge amount of luck in your fundraising.

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    1. I'm sorry you and your family are learning about leukemia first-hand. I hope he is able to find a lasting remission or, far better, a cure!
      Thank you for your well wishes.

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  28. I finally had a chance to come back and make a donation through your link, Sue. God bless

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  29. Thank you for the lovely comments Sue! - Tasha

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    1. You're quite welcome, Tasha!
      Thanks for being a regular visitor to image-in-ing!

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  30. My great uncle died of blood cancer but sadly back then there was no treatment at all. It's amazing the advances that have been made but still so much to do.

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