Hello, Beautiful!
Let’s make a difference, shall we?
Last week at a Legal Department breakfast, my colleague Lexi Andresen announced that she’s raising money from now until June 2017 as part of a Leukemia & Lymphoma Society campaign. Lexi spoke briefly about how she did not have anyone in her family or friend circle impacted by cancer, but “God forbid if that were to ever happen one day,” she wanted there to money for research, medicine, and treatment.
I was immediately intrigued and wanted to find out more for several reasons. First off, I really was blown away by the fact that she just truly wanted to raise money for an incredible cause, no strings attached. Another reason was because of something else Lexi mentioned at breakfast:
“Blood cancer intersects with other types of cancers, including pancreatic cancer, breast cancer, and lung cancer. Blood cancer impacts everyone and has a far reach, whether we realize it or not.”
Having lost my father to pancreatic cancer 10 years ago this summer, I knew I had to find out more and see what I could do to help. If you want to know more about how you can make a positive difference in the lives of so many kids – and even have FUN while doing it – then read on for more on LLS & Lexi’s partnership with this organization.
LLS is a national nonprofit organization that funds research and support for patients and families with any type of blood cancers. Founded in 1949 in Rye Brook, New York by Antionette and Rudolph de Villiers, LLS is the world’s largest voluntary health organization dedicated to funding blood cancer research, education and patient services.
One of the many ways LLS raises money is through the Man and Woman of the Year Campaign, a major campaign-style fundraising event every March – June.
Lexi is running for the title of Woman of the Year in the Charlotte, NC area. She had to go through a process to even be nominated for the chance to run by someone on the committee. Her friend, Alexis Gonzalez, spoke to the LLS board for Woman of Year and “argued” Lexi’s criteria. Alexis had to speak to Lexi’s community involvement, her network, her lack of connection to LLS, her leadership, and her overall drive/ability to raise funds LLS. Alexis received a bit of reluctance from the board throughout this process because let’s be honest: Lexis has no direct connection to blood cancer whatsoever (and in her words, “Thankfully and God-willing it stays that way!”).
It was hard for the board to believe, as it may be for you, that someone could really just want to do all this out of the goodness of their heart. To that Lexi says,
“Should I ever encounter someone in my life who is impacted by blood cancer, I would want money for the treatment, the research, the medicine that’s needed – I truly think this intersects with a lot of people’s lives, but it’s difficult to talk about. Lately, when I’ve been reaching out to people, I’m so surprised how often someone responds, ‘This is great, my dad is actually going through cancer treatments right now.’ Cancer is heartbreaking. It doesn’t discriminate: men and women, all ages, and all races . . . and so I think it’s time for society to recognize the importance of that. I went into this campaign with the mindset that if I can raise $5 only, then that’s $5 towards something I don’t have the brain or funds to cure myself . . . but if I can use my network in some way to help with raising even more, then I want to do that.”
Alexis must have said something along those lines to the board, because here Lexi is. She says she’s never done anything like this before, but she’s figuring it out as she goes. Most of what she’s doing is personal asks and corporate sponsorships. Businesses can buy a full page ad, a half page ad, or a sponsorship or feature at the culmination gala. The next 10 weeks of Lexi’s efforts to raise the most money in the Charlotte area leads to grand finale gala on June 3rd, 2017 at the beautiful Westin in Uptown Charlotte. Word on the street is the event had to be moved from a nearby hotel to the Westin to accommodate more people for the formal occasion culmination celebration (see what I did there?).
Tickets to the event were $175 and may still be requested, but there is no guarantee of availability. The event will include a silent auction, but even better is the fact that the LLS Boy of the Year and Girl of the Year are being featured: Ally and Levi.
Levi was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in August 2015, and has done exceptionally well responding to treatment. His parents say there’s a lot more to Levi than his ALL, though:
“While his body is under a lot of stress on the inside, Levi rarely shows it on the outside. He has been hospitalized for fevers twice since August 2015 and was delayed twice from his chemotherapy due to low counts. What makes Levi so special is his smile. His laugh. His strength. His ability to focus on what’s ahead, versus what’s behind. After everything that he’s been through, he remains upbeat and positive. He’s a ray of sunshine in this storm. Today, Levi, now five, is halfway through his three and a half year treatment plan. We have a long road to recovery ahead of us but we’re confident that the worst part is behind us now. “
I truly cannot imagine having to battle death – stare cancer in the face – when I’m not even old enough to understand death yet.
The Girl of the Year, Ally, bravely battled Stage 3 Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a diagnosis that came last August, just one year after her father, Preston, beat Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Ally – who has a big heart and some serious black belt skills – finished her last treatment in September 2016 and is now cancer free, just like her daddy.
A campaign, the title, raising money and all the hard work that goes along with that . . . I couldn’t help but just confirm with Lexi that Woman of the Year is literally just an honor, right? “You don’t get, like, an award or anything in return for doing this?” I asked her.
“No, it’s literally just the honor of having raised the most money for the cause. BUT, I might get the opportunity to compete at the national level if I raise something like $100,000.00 or more. Last year I George Bush’s daughter competed? So, I could get to compete for the title of Woman of the Year at a national level. That’s it.”
In the 1960s, a child with cancer had less than a 5% chance at survival. Now, because of organizations like LLS, there is a 92% chance of a child’s survival. Proof that a difference really can be made. I’m honored to encourage you to donate to Lexi’s campaign – every dollar is a vote for Woman of the Year, but more importantly: every dollar is a dollar that will be used to fight cancer.
Check out the link in Lexi’s Instagram bio @lexandresen to make donations + sign up for amazing fundraising events, like the one-hour barre class my girls and I are attending this Sunday! Cannot WAIT! And best wishes to Lexi during her campaign! You can also simply click HERE or visit:
mwoy.org/pages/nc/clt17/aandresen
Until next time, Wild-Hearted Wanderer,
xo,
eg
