Cancer Is Tough – We Are Tougher

To honor the memory of my late friend Robert Grace, I recently competed in the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) New Orleans Visionary of the Year campaign. And I’m incredibly humbled to have received the award for top fundraiser by raising over $70,000 in just 10 weeks.

I couldn’t have done it without surrounding myself with a group of dedicated folks called Team Grace – including Joe Grace, (Robert’s brother), who won an award for raising the most money as a team member.  And I owe a huge debt of gratitude to all of the friends, family, co-workers, and clients who donated to our campaign. Thank you so much – we  did it together!

Because we’ve raised over $50,000, an LLS research portfolio will be named in honor of Robert. In addition, I’m selecting “Realizing Breakthroughs Through Research” as the organization’s funding area we’ll support with the money we’ve raised.

I Lost Two Close Friends to Cancer When They Were Young

The LLS mission is to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease, and myeloma and to improve the quality of life of patients and their families. And it’s especially important to me because at the age of 35, Robert Grace had his whole life ahead of him. Robert and I loved listening to music together, dancing, and laughing. He had the most amazing record collection and made me mixed tapes that I still have and treasure to this day! I’ve stayed close to his family over the years and would do anything to help others dealing with the same diagnosis. Obviously, Joe Grace feels the same way, which is why he so lovingly and willingly joined me in this effort.

Another close friend named Jeanne Bernos was diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma, a rare type of bone cancer, at age 35. (Jeanne introduced me to Robert while the three of us were LSU students.) Just like Robert was young when he was diagnosed with leukemia, she too was young and vibrant with so much to look forward to. Losing two close friends when we were all in our 30s was devastating.

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Inspires Me

Robert and Jeanne are the reasons I worked to raise critical funds for LLS. What’s so inspiring to me is that LLS-supported discoveries and therapies not only help blood cancer patients, but they’ve also led to ground-breaking treatments for brain, breast, and bone cancers. Which means others who face these same diagnoses will benefit from increased support, more promise, and real hope.

In addition, LLS funds research to develop "targeted therapies" that kill cancer cells selectively. These treatments don't harm a patient’s healthy cells, which results in fewer treatment-related side effects. And at any one time, LLS is actively supporting over 300 research projects that result in real progress for curing blood cancers, including “out-of-the-box” research; many researchers who are ineligible for traditional government grants, receive grants from LLS! This leads to clinical trials and other discoveries that save lives.

Thank You for Your Support

Because of YOU, LLS is able to fund lifesaving cancer research and provide free information and counseling to patients navigating their cancer journey. And that means the world to patients and their families. I can’t thank you enough for your support!

To learn more, visit www.lls.org.