The Ohio River Valley Region of Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) has named 8-year-old leukemia survivor Jack, from Fort Thomas, as Honored Hero of its 2022 Light The Night walk, to be held at the Yeatman’s Cove on October 6.
Light The Night is a series of fundraising campaigns benefiting LLS’s funding of research to find blood cancer cures. Friends, families and co-workers gather together to celebrate, honor or remember those touched by cancer. Walk participants carry illuminated lanterns – white in honor of survivors and the power of research, red in support of patients and finding cures, and gold in remembrance of those who have been lost.
Jack was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia at the young age of 2. He endured 3 years of chemotherapy, and, today, is successfully in remission, and just finishing up 2nd grade! Jack is a sports enthusiast, and is playing baseball, basketball, and football. Jack proudly carries his white lantern at Light The Night.
“When a loved one hears the words ‘you have cancer’ it is one of the darkest moments in your life,” said Tom Carleton, LLS Ohio River Valley Region Executive Director. “At Light The Night, we aim to bring light to the darkness of cancer through research and cures, and reinforce the urgent need to raise more funds to fight cancer and now is the time for us to be bigger and more powerful than we’ve ever been before.”
The global COVID-19 pandemic magnified the issues patients face beyond health concerns to include added distress, new financial worries, loneliness, and uncertainty. The pandemic stood in the way of any in-person Light The Night events during the pandemic, but impactful virtual walks still took place across the country bringing the same level of passion and dedication to fight blood cancer. Despite the challenges, LLS has remained laser-focused on its mission priorities: Research, Education & Support and Policy & Advocacy.
Through events like Light The Night, LLS has invested more than $1.5 billion since its inception in research to advance breakthrough therapies. The funds raised by LLS are used for:
Research to advance lifesaving therapies like immunotherapy, genomics and personalized medicine, which are saving lives today.
Free blood cancer information, education and support for patients and families.
National and local advocacy efforts driving policies that safely accelerate new treatments and ensure patients have access to care so that they can live longer, healthier lives.
To form a Light The Night team or to learn more, please call the Ohio River Valley Region at 513-698-2828 or visit www.lightthenight.orgLLS Information Resource Center at 800-955-4572, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Leukemia and Lymphoma Society