September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and Leukemia, Lymphoma and Myeloma Awareness Month. Both awareness initiatives are near and dear to the heart of Friends of Heroes.

An estimated 10,730 children under the age of 15 were diagnosed with cancer in the United States in 2008, with leukemia being the most commonly diagnosed childhood cancer at 32.6 percent of all cases. Lymphoma ranked as the third most diagnosed pediatric cancer in 2008.

Our group began with a passion to put an end to childhood cancer and we annually participate in the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Light The Night Walk to raise money and awareness for a cure. There are simple ways we can each make a difference by supporting research, raising awareness and contacting legislators.

Did you know:

• Every five minutes, someone in this country is diagnosed with blood cancer?
• Every nine minutes, someone loses the fight?
• Leukemia is the leading cause of disease-related death among children under age 15?
• Approximately 3,000 children die from a blood cancer every year?

Help us make a difference for these families!!!

Donate by visiting one of our team member pages at:
http://pages.lightthenight.org/2009/friendsofheroes

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) funds lifesaving research that has contributed to major advances in the treatment of blood cancers and treatments for other types of cancer, such as chemotherapy and stem cell transplants. These treatments have helped patients live better, longer lives. New targeted therapies that kill cancer cells without harming normal tissue are providing drugs and procedures that are improving quality of life.

• A donation of $25 provides patients and their loved ones with FREE booklets that contain up-to-date information on their disease and help them make informed decisions about their treatment options.
• A donation of $50 makes possible a Family Support group with a trained facilitator where comfort can be found and experiences can be shared among patients and family members.
• A donation of $100 helps supply laboratory researchers with supplies and materials critical to carrying out their search for cures.
• A donation of $1,000 makes possible one- on-one conversations with health care specialists who provide patients with information about their disease, treatment options, and helps prepare them with questions for their health care team.

Make a difference that will make a big impact!

Participate in a Light The Night Walk near you:
http://pages.lightthenight.org/2009/friendsofheroes

Join our Light The Night Team – Friends of Heroes and raise awareness among your family, friends and co-workers. Light The Night Walk is the nation’s night to pay tribute and bring hope to thousands of people battling blood cancers and to commemorate loved ones lost.

Funds raised by walkers provide:

• Lifesaving blood cancer research
• Financial assistance to cover patient expenses for transportation, medication and testing
• Free educational materials and events for patients and their families
• Local programs such as Family Support Groups and First Connection, a peer-to-peer counseling program
• Comprehensive, personalized assistance through our Information Resource Center

Light The Night Walk events are evenings filled with inspiration. Carrying illuminated balloons – white for survivors, red for supporters and gold in memory of loved ones lost to cancer – thousands of walkers – men, women and children – form a community of caring, bringing light to the dark world of cancer.

If you already have a Light The Night Team, join us as an affiliate team. Contact Carole at affiliates@friendsofheroes.org for more information.

Make a difference on Capital Hill

Urge Your Representative to Co-Sponsor Pediatric Cancer Survivorship Legislation

Improvements in long-term survival rates for pediatric cancer patients present some new challenges for patients, family members, providers and policy makers. Patients may face greater risk of secondary cancers; they may have limited access to follow-up care; the follow-up care they do receive may be inadequate; and some may face cognitive or psychosocial problems. Expensive long-term treatments, hurdles to purchasing health, life, or disability insurance, and employment barriers also pose difficulties for cancer survivors.

Reps. Jackie Speier (D-CA) and Mary Bono Mack (R-CA) recently introduced the Pediatric, Adolescent, and Young Adult Cancer Survivorship Research and Quality of Life Act (H.R. 2109). This legislation would provide much needed resources to fund research and survivorship programs that would dramatically improve the quality of life for all cancer survivors.

Please take a moment to send a letter to your representative urging them to co-sponsor this important legislation. Please make sure that pediatric cancer survivors receive the care they need as they move on with their lives.

Click here to take action!

Team Angel’s Wings is a new Friends of Heroes affiliate, but they are not new to Light The Night or blood cancers. National Co-captain Jenn Burgess interviewed Helen Bailey, captain of Angel’s Wings to find out more about why they participate in Light The Night.

Angel Marie

Can you tell us a little bit about how your team Angel’s Wings started?

My son, James Rodriguez, had a friend/classmate whose younger sister, Angel, developed leukemia. Angel’s mother asked for donations, help and support for Light The Night, so I decided to get a team together of James’s classmates to help.

Two years later, my mother Estela Bailey was diagnosed with non Hodgkins lymphoma. And, a grandparent of one of our walkers was also diagnosed with cancer, so I decided to keep the team going in their honor.

How are Angel and your mom doing today post-treatment?

Angel is doing great! She was the honored hero for last year’s Light The Night walk and is now in first grade. Angel only needs to visit the clinic for treatment every six months (instead of every day!) which allows her to live a “normal” life. Due to additional complications, doctors did not share hope that she would make it this far. We’re thrilled that she proved the doctors wrong!

My mom is back to being a mom! I am grateful she is doing well and here to watch my kids and grandkids grow up.

It’s so good to hear they are doing well!! Events like Light The Night fund blood cancer research and helps families through patient services programs. Survival rates have increased dramatically in the past 30 years, yet a cure is still needed.

Let’s talk about Light The Night! What made you decide to become a part of FOH as an affiliate?

A new co-worker (Jenn) invited me to a local baseball game which was a fundraising and awareness event for Light The Night. She told me about her team, Friends of Heroes, so I looked up their website and between what I read about the pediatric cancer research grants and the excitement she showed about their success stories and fundraising, I decided to join her team as an affiliate.

Please share a little bit about your planning leading up to the walk. What are your plans for team fundraising this year? Is there anything that worked well in the past?

I am trying to recruit as many members as possible at work and school, plus friends and family. I want to get everyone together for a meeting to decided other ways to raise money like making pins, buttons, ribbons, etc. to sell. Maybe hold a car wash, bake sale, etc.

I also have the help of my daughter, Nicole Bustinza, as a co-captain. She is able to run errands, deliver walker information and pick up donations when I’m at work. Together, we are able to reach more people.

You’re good at recruiting and motivating people. What do you say to encourage people to walk and raise money for Light The Night?

I tell them that participating in this walk may one day help save the lives of their children, family or friends like it did for Angel and my mom. What cause could be better?

When someone asks you what Light The Night means to you, what do you tell them?

It gives me the opportunity to help save lives!

Helen, thanks so much for sharing more about your team and what you are doing this year. Is there anything else you would like to add?

I think since so many children have been afflicted by this disease, we should target schools to help.

Well said! The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society has a priority to help young patients and has initiated the Trish Greene Back to School Program for the Child with Cancer. The program is designed to help parents, teachers and administrators when a child in their school has cancer. Programs like these can help schools and care givers provide the best possible chance for pediatric patients to renter their schools and succeed.

To donate to or join Helen and her team, visit Team Angel’s Wings.

Check out the photos from the baseball game fundraiser and awareness event. Walkers who purchased tickets walked onto the field with the twinkling lights. For each ticket purchased, $5 was donated directly back to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. To plan a similar event in your city, contact the Community Relations Manager for your local ball club. (Mouseover the sides of the large photo to navigate.)

Here a SimpleViewer Flash gallery should be displayed. Click here to open the post in your browser to see the gallery.

Our thanks to the many sponsors who supported our Blogging for Blood Cancer awareness event! Thank you for helping us to make a difference!

Here a SimpleViewer Flash gallery should be displayed. Click here to open the post in your browser to see the gallery.

Welcome to the the eight and final day of Blogging For Blood Cancer. Today’s Prize is It’s a Glam Thing beauty gift basket (value=$175) courtesy of It’s a Glam Thing.

To qualify to win, leave a comment with an answer to the question after reading the post.

The week of Blogging for Blood Cancer has come to end, but that does not mean that we at FOH will stop blogging for blood cancer and we hope you will continue to come back and check for updates. Thank you to all who have participated and thank you to our very own Lois of Goodies for mom for all the hard work she put into this and all the great prizes. We would also like to thank The Blue Top Hat, The greeting cookie, Susan Murphay inc., Stakersensations,Pretty Posh Princess,Circle of Sentiments,Lucky Girl Trading Company,Mimsi Bags,Its a Glam thing, and Sampsonite for the donation of all the great prizes.

This has been a great week. We have had many great post. If you didn’t get a chance to read them you should check them out.

Monday:Welcome to the Blogging for Blood Cancer Event
Tuesday:Light The Night for Blood Cancers
Wednesday:Every Dollar Counts Toward a Cure!
Thursday:FOH and Their Affliates – Partners in Eradicating Pediatric Blood Cancer
Friday:Our Fifth Season as a Team
Saturday:Pediatric Cancer Research – Why Is It Important?
Sunday:A Beautiful Future of Life Lived; Not A Life Lost

For more information about joining your Local Friends Of Heroes Light the night team, please visit www.lightthenight.organd search by your zip code then click join a team and click friends of Heroes. If you already have a team and are interested in becoming and affiliate, please email Carole. Thank you for making our first Blogging For Blood Caner such a great event.

For a chance to win, leave a comment with your favorite post for the week and why it was your favorite.by MIDNIGHT PST today.

You’ll also be entered for our grand prize to be drawn Monday for a $900 Timberland and Lacoste product assortment, courtesy of Samsonite. (Comments are moderated.)

Welcome to Day 6 of the Blogging for Blood Cancer event! Today’s prize is a Princess purse and ribbon tutu from Pretty Posh Princess. Yesterday’s winner was commenter #9 Denise who knew there were 600 members of Friends of Heroes in 2007.

To qualify to win, leave a comment with an answer to the question after reading the post.

Why is pediatric research so important?

• Joseph Burchenal, M.D., established the chemotherapy program at New York’s Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, now the standard model around the world
• William Dameshek, M.D., considered one of the world’s leading hematologists, was among the first to identify an effective chemo agent.
• Brian Druker, M.D., was a leader in the development of Gleevec®, a revolutionary non-toxic pill that treats chronic myelogenous leukemia and other cancers.
• Emil Frei III, M.D., pioneered curative treatment of acute lymphocytic leukemia, resulting in prolonged survival.
• Robert Peter Gale, M.D., noted leukemia researcher and bone marrow transplant expert who helped clone the gene that causes chronic myelogenous leukemia and developed drug treatments for acute myelogenous leukemia and other leukemias.
• George Hitchings, Ph.D., helped develop 6-mercaptopurine and thioguanine, two of the first and most widely used leukemia drugs.
• George Santos, M.D., was a pioneering bone marrow transplant expert.
• E. Donnall Thomas, M.D., first scientist to successfully perform a bone marrow transplant between two humans.
• C. Gordon Zubrod, M.D., is considered the “father of the clinical trials concept in oncology.” (Our History. 2006. The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Retrieved from http://www.leukemia-lymphoma.org/all_page?item_id=221384)

In 1960-63, when compared to a person without leukemia, a patient had a 14 percent chance of living five years. By 1975-77, the five-year relative survival rate had jumped to 35 percent. By 2002, the survival rates have increased dramatically large impart due to the wonderful research conducted by The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and other organizations like them.

• Acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL): 65.2 percent overall; 90.5 percent for children under 5;
• Acute myelogenous leukemia (AML): 20.4 percent overall; 53.1 percent for children under 15
• Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma: 81.9% for children under 19
• Hodgkin’s lymphoma: 95.1% for children under 20.
• (Leukemia Facts & Statistics. 2006. The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Retrieved from http://www.leukemia-lymphoma.org/all_page?item_id=9346)

Even though these survival rates have significantly improved, until there is early detection, a method of prevention, and a cure for blood cancers, research is still desperately needed. Anything less than 100% survival rate just is not good enough, especially when you are talking about someone’s child.

ENTER TO WIN TODAY’S PRIZE:

For a chance to win, leave a comment with the name of the first scientist to successfully perform a bone marrow transplant between two humans by MIDNIGHT PST today.

[Hint, hint, hint: You will find the answer in this post. Wink, wink.]

You’ll also be entered for our grand prize to be drawn Monday for a $900 Timberland and Lacoste product assortment, courtesy of Samsonite. (Comments are moderated.) Make sure to stop back for more information and even more chances to win!

Thank you for stopping by day 5 of Blogging for Blood Cancer. Today’s prize is 5 sets of vinyl wall decals (value=$48.00) courtesy of Stakersensations. Yesterday’s winner was commenter # 25 – Nikki! She knew that FOH and its Affiliate teams have raised over $958,241 in four seasons!

To qualify to win, leave a comment with an answer to the question after reading the post.

Five years ago, we all started because of a blue eyed baby girl named Allie. Five years later we are still here and going strong, in fact each year we grow stronger. Friends of Heroes has become a big part of each of our lives, and we are still making a huge difference each year. Five years from now we all share the same hope that there will be no need for us, because we will have a cure.

Friends of Heroes, formerly Friends of Allie and Allie’s Angels, is the largest national Friends and Family Light The Night team in The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s history. The team was originally created to honor Allie Scott, an 8 month old baby from Allen, TX who passed away from acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in September 2004. You can read more about the inspiration for Friends of Heroes (here).

Since then, Friends of Heroes has grown dramatically in both size and focus. The team not only retains a core group of over 600 registered walkers, but also welcomes several affiliate teams across the country. In the 2007 Light The Night season, Friends of Heroes had a team presence at 60 walksites and raised a $114,000 dollars in the fight against blood cancers.

Friends of Heroes and affiliates actively fundraise for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, with a passion and focus towards eradicating pediatric blood cancers. We strive to incorporate honored children at each walksite – local children who are either currently undergoing treatment or in remission from any blood cancer.

The Friends of Heroes Light The Night team is overseen by national team leaders, volunteers who oversee fundraising and team organization, as well as a Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Friends and Family national manager. We always welcome new volunteers, and encourage you to contact any of the team leaders for more information on how to get involved in our mission.

Our Mission Statement

As Friends of Heroes, we are a volunteer organization whose purpose is:

• To raise money toward pediatric blood cancer research and patient services through Light The Night walks.
• To make a positive difference in the lives of families affected by pediatric cancer.
• To invoke awareness in our local communities of the need for cancer research.
• To build an international network of individuals and teams who share our passion and goal to raise money for an awareness of pediatric blood cancer.

Five years later…………………

Reflecting back over my years with Friends of Heroes and doing the Light the Night walks my first thought goes to the children and their families. How their world must have been turned upside down to find out that someone they loved was diagnosed with Leukemia/Lymphoma. My second thought goes to what if that would happen to my son or daughter wouldn’t I hope that people would do the same as I’m doing which is VOLUNTEERING my time to make the difference in someone else’s life.
If you’ve never walked in the Light the Night before let me tell you it’s a wonderful experience and you should really consider doing one. It’s a night that people get together to honor and remember those who have or are battling this awful disease. Seeing the crowds of people and the balloons flickering as the sun goes down and at our walk in St. Louis we see the sidewalk towards of the end of the walk we see candles inside bags lining the walkway of the people we just walked in honor or in memory of. It’s an experience that keeps bringing me back year after year.
Kathie Team Captain relations

“Friends of Heroes is a part of my life. After meeting several cancer heroes, it makes me want to work HARDER to find a cure. I really hope that in 5 years, Friends of Heroes will not be here, BECAUSE there is a cure for blood cancers!”
Beck Social Networks Coordinator

Why am I still walking five years later…Because mother’s are still losing their children to this horrible disease. No child should have to fight for their lives. They should be enjoying being a child. No mother should have to watch as their child suffers from this devastating disease wondering if they will make it to their next birthday. Until every child is cured or even better blood cancer is preventable, I still have a job to do and my job is to help raise funds and awareness for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and their critical mission. I hope you will all join me in this important fight.
Lois National Co-Captain

Five years later, I am still involved with Friends Of Heroes and Light the Night because, I truly believe that we will find a cure in my life time. These children are our future, and I want no other child to loose their life to this horrible disease. I believe that Friends of Heroes can and is making a huge difference in the fight against cancer. We will keep making a difference and I will always be involved in that until we have no more cancer to raise funds and awareness about and for.
Christy Blog

Hope. The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) provides hope to thousands of blood cancer patients each year because of research funded through events like Light The Night.

Five years ago, the five-year survival rate for children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, the most common childhood cancer, was only 55%. Today the five-year survival rate is 90.5%. Patients are living longer, better lives!

I am extremely hopeful that in another five years we will see incredible advancements toward a cure, but there is still so much work to be done! Acute myeloid leukemia is still around 50% survival. Those odds need to improve! Families shouldn’t have to lose their precious ones to this devastating disease.

“There are two primary choices in life: to accept conditions as they exist, or accept the responsibility for changing them.” – Denis Waitley

Please join us to make a difference!
Jenn National Co-Captain

Enter to win today’s prize
5 sets of vinyl wall decals (value=$48.00) courtesy of Stakersensations
How many registered walkers did FOH have in 2007? Hint: You will find the answer is in this post. Wink, wink.]
You’ll also be entered for our grand prize to be drawn Monday for a $900 Timberland and Lacoste product assortment, courtesy of Samsonite. (Comments are moderated.)
Make sure to stop back all week for more information and even more chances to win!

Thank you for stopping by! It’s Day 3 of the Blogging for Blood Cancer event! Today’s prizes include a Beautiful Handmade Soap set from 5-year-old Tasha and 5 pairs of assorted sterling silver earrings (valued at $25) from Designing-Diva. Yesterday’s winner was Commenter #2 – Carrie from PA. Click here to see what walk is closest to you and how you can join the Light The Night Friends of Heroes team.

To qualify to win, leave a comment with an answer to the question after reading the post.

So far we’ve blogged about the importance of blood cancer research and the Light The Night Walk. The one important component that ties these together is money.

Not only is the Light The Night walk an evening to honor blood cancer patients in the biggest battle of their lives, it is also to celebrate the teams of volunteers who fundraise to support blood cancer research and patient service. Funding is absolutely necessary for research to continue and this research will SAVE LIVES.

HOW YOUR DOLLARS ARE USED:

75 cents of every dollar spent goes directly towards supporting The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s mission of a cure. Society-funded research has led to key advances in understanding blood cancer and the life-saving drugs to fight them.

• $500 provides a patient with leukemia, lymphoma or myeloma with Patient Financial Aid to support medical treatment, medications and travel to medical appointments for one year.
• $500 allows 10 patients to login to a Webcast and receive the latest medical breakthroughs.
• $400 funds a Family Support Group program for one year.
• $100 provides three patients with access to an information teleconference.
• $100 allows four patients to make a first connection with a trained peer counselor.

THE TRIUMPHS:

• A newly FDA approved drug, Gleevac, has been shown to normalize blood counts in nearly all patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML). Dr. Brian Druker, a Society-funded researcher, is responsible for this remarkable innovation in cancer research.
• In 1974 the 5 year survival rate for children with the most common form of leukemia was just 53%. Today, 86% of children diagnosed will survive.
• The five year survival rate for Hodgkin’s Lymphoma has nearly doubled from 40% in 1960 to 83% today.

PUTTING THE FUN IN FUNDRAISING:

Fundraising does not have to be a chore! The local Light The Night Staff is trained to help teams raise money and has easy and free tools available. To get new walkers started, some fundraising ideas include:

• Partnering with a business to sell Light The Night Paper Balloons can help contact donors that you wouldn’t normally reach. (Check our Walker Resources or this post for details.) Sometimes companies also have a matching gifts program to boost fundraising dollars.
• If you register for Light The Night and provide an email address, you’ll automatically have a secure online fundraising page created. You can personalize the page like this one or this one and send the URL to family and friends. Participants using the onine fundraising tend to raise about 200% more than those that don’t!
• What do you enjoy? Bowling, scrapbooking, barbeques, golf… turn it into a fundraiser! Visit our Fundraising Idea Sheet or the FOH Newsletters for more ideas.
• Anyone can fundraise! All it takes is a little creativity and passion. One of today’s sponsors is 5-year-old Tasha who sells her handmade soaps to help raise money for her two young friends with leukemia. If she can do it, so can you!

For even more ideas, see all posts under the Fundraising category.

ENTER TO WIN TODAY’S PRIZE:

For a chance to win, leave a comment answering

“How much of every dollar donated goes directly to
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s mission?”

For an extra chance to win, leave another comment with an answer to this question:

“If you were raising money for Light The Night,
which fundraising activity would you pick?”
(or post your own creative fundraising idea!)

Ends at MIDNIGHT PST today.

You’ll also be entered for our grand prize to be drawn Monday for a $900 Timberland and Lacoste product assortment, courtesy of Samsonite. (Comments are moderated.)

Make sure to stop back all week for more information and even more chances to win!

Source: LLS.org

Welcome to Day 2 of the Blogging for Blood Cancer event! Today’s prize is $30 gift certificate to The Blue Top Hat plus a cookie card and cookies from the Greeting Cookie. Yesterday’s winner was commenter #70 Belinda A. who knew that The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society spent $66.5 million last year in support of more than 400 researchers and projects in 15 countries on five continents. Thank you to all those who participated and good luck today!

To qualify to win, leave a comment with an answer to the question after reading the post.

What does 2000 walkers, twinkling balloons and a worthy cause look like? It looks like one of the many Light The Night Walks that occur across the United States and Canada each fall!

Light The Night walks are The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) annual event to raise funds for cures. It’s the nation’s night to pay tribute and bring hope to thousands of patients and their families.

The family-friendly evenings are inspirational and take place in over 150 cities nationwide. Funds raised through Light The Night support the work of hundreds of the world’s best and brightest researchers in their search for better therapies and cures for leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma.

Friends of Heroes, formerly Friends of Allie, has participated in Light The Night for the past 4 walks and first came together in support and memory of Allie Scott, an eight month old baby who battled leukemia in 2004. Our group of honored heroes grew as we met more people affected by blood cancers – often a friend or family member, young and old alike.

As a group of moms, dads, friends and family, FOH wants to make a difference for families stricken with blood cancers and continues to raise awareness and funds for patient services and research for a CURE. Each year we rally together to raise at least $100,000 to have a pediatric cancer research grant, bestowed by LLS, named in honor of our team, including our affiliates and our heroes.

You’re invited to help make a difference!!! A two mile walk can help save a life! Join or start a Light The Night team today and be part of an amazing effort to find cures for blood cancers.

For more information, visit www.lightthenight.org or our 2006 Light The Night Team Tidbits.

ENTER TO WIN TODAY’S PRIZE:

For a chance to win, leave a comment with the city and date of the Light The Night walk nearest to you by MIDNIGHT PST today.

[Psst: You will find the answer at the bottom of this post or on this page. Wink, wink.]

You’ll also be entered for our grand prize to be drawn Monday for a $900 Timberland and Lacoste product assortment, courtesy of Samsonite. (Comments are moderated.) Make sure to stop back all week for more information and even more chances to win!

Click more to view Light The Night walksites!

2008 Walksites & Dates

Welcome to the Friends of Heroes National team website and our Blogging for Blood Cancer Event!!!!!!

Make sure to check back each day for a new post and a new prize to win. Today, you have a chance to win a $25 Starbucks Gift Card. Check at the end of this post to find out how you can win.

Did you know that:

• An estimated 138,530 people in the United States will be diagnosed with leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma in 2008.
• Leukemia causes more deaths than any other cancer among children and young adults under the age of 20.
• In 2008, about 497 children under 15 are expected to die from leukemia.

The Friends of Heroes National team walks yearly in the Light the Night Walks to benefit The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS), whose mission is to raise awareness and funds to cure leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families. This past year, LLS has invested $66.5 million in support of more than 400 researchers and projects in 15 countries on five continents.

Friends of Heroes was formed because of the battle of one brave little baby girl named Allie Scott. Allie was diagnosed with Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML) at only 5 months of age. Sadly, Allie lost her battle to AML on September 13, 2004 — 4 days shy of turning 9 months. She never walked. She never talked. She never had a birthday party. Yet Allie is still here. She is with thousands of us in spirit every day. She reminds us daily of the value of life. She reminds us to cherish our time with our children. She reminds us of the profound difference a single life can make in this world. She touched people’s hearts and inspired their passion to make a difference. In 2007, the team expanded to honor all pediatric blood cancer patients and their families. In less than four years, the team has raised over $960,000 for the Society, with a 2008 goal of breaking the $1 Million mark, and naming a pediatric blood cancer research grant in honor of the children battling this horrible disease.

Here is the good news: the leukemia death rate for children from 0 to 14 years in the United States has declined about 67 percent over the past three decades. Leukemia five-year survival rates have gone from only 14% in 1960 to 51%, and overall blood cancer five-year survival rates have gone from 24% to almost 60%. Research is the key.

Although research is responsible for increasing survival rates for these diseases, the battle is far from over. The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society is on the forefront of this life-changing research. LLS has invested more than $600 million in research for advancing the treatment, diagnosis, or prevention of these diseases. They have established SCOR teams that include some of the brightest medical researchers in the field of blood cancers – specialists in genetics, cell biology, virology, immunology and other areas. Their work is not finished until a cure is found for this devastating disease.

LLS’ goals continue to increase as they plan for 2008-2011. LLS plans to accelerate the development of new therapies, increase participation in blood cancer clinical trials, provide navigation assistance to patients at all points in their cancer journeys, and make services and information available to a larger percentage of patients within 30 days of diagnosis.

However, LLS needs our help! We may not be researchers or doctors, but here are some things we can do to help further this critical mission:

• Raise awareness for the importance of LLS and their mission through events like this.
• Raise funds personally through events like Light the Night Walks
• Form a walk team at a Light the Night Walks to involve friends, co-workers and family.

Through advocacy to help change a range of public policies that will enhance the search for cures and improve the quality of education, access and treatment of blood cancer patients:

ENTER TO WIN:

For a chance to win a $25 Starbucks Gift Card, just leave a comment with the amount of money LLS has invested in research for finding a cure this past year by MIDNIGHT PST today. [Hint: You will find the answer is in this post. Wink, wink.] You’ll also be entered for our grand prize to be drawn Monday for a $900 Timberland and Lacoste product assortment, courtesy of Samsonite. (The winner will be announced in tomorrow’s post. Comments are being moderated and will be approved later tonight when the winner is selected.)

Make sure to stop back all week for more information and even more chances to win. Here’s a preview of what you’ll have a chance to win:

• Monday 8/11: $25 Starbucks Gift Card
• Tuesday 8/12: $30 gift certificate to The Blue Top Hat plus a cookie card and cookies from the Greeting Cookie
• Wednesday 8/13: Beautiful Handmade Soap from Tasha, and 5 pairs of assorted sterling silver earrings (value =$25) from Designing-Diva
• Thursday 8/14: $50 gift certificate to Susan Murphy, Inc.
• Friday 8/15: 5 sets of vinyls wall decals (value=$48.00) courtesy of Stakersensations
• Saturday 8/16: Princess purse and ribbon tutu from Pretty Posh Princess
• Sunday 8/17: Fused glass pendant from Lucky Girl Trading Company & Tess shopping bag (value=$20.00) courtesey of Mimsi Bags
• Monday 8/18: It’s a Glam Thing beauty gift basket (value=$175) courtesy of It’s a Glam Thing
• Our Grand Prize 8/18: $900 Timberland and Lacoste product assortment, including duffle bags, totes, luggage tags, backpack, key ring, i-pod cases, and purse, courtesy of Samsonite. (This will be drawn from all the comments throughout the event)

Source: The Leukemia & Lymphoma Website and Facts 2008-2009 from LLS

Only three days left until our Blogging for blood Cancer beginsPlease Join us This first   time event will bring bloggers across the United States together to raise awareness for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and its mission to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and , and improve the quality of life of patients and their families. It starts Monday, August 11 and there are lots of great prizes to be won for bloggers and non-bloggers so make sure to stop back.

We have four days left before the first Blogging for blood cancer event. Please join us!

If you have a blog or a website, please help us promote our “Blogging for Blood Cancer” Event. The first annual “Blogging for Blood Cancer” event will take place from August 11-18, 2008. This first time event will bring bloggers from across the United States together to raise awareness for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and its mission to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families.

The event is being hosted by Goodies for Mom in conjunction with the Friends of Heroes (FOH) National Light The Night Team of which I am a proud part. We are asking (ok ,begging) that bloggers post on your blogs throughout the event about the importance of the LLS mission, share your personal stories of those you have come to know who have been affected by blood cancer, or share some of the stories you read here and on the FOH site during the week that have touched your hearts.

All bloggers participating will have the opportunity to be entered to win prizes donated by event sponsors by leaving a Mr. Linky link on the Goodies for Mom post for the event. The event post will go up on August 11, 2008 at 8:00am. Even if you do not have a blog, visitors to the Goodies for Mom and Friends of Heroes blogs during the week will also have opportunities to win as they learn more about the importance of LLS’s research and patient services in the fight against blood cancer.

I love autumn. The summer temps finally start to cool and the leaves start to change to beautiful hues of orange, red, yellow and brown. September signifies back-to-school and back to living on a schedule.

In the last few years, September has taken on new meaning for me. It is Childhood Cancer Awareness month and I reflect back to September ’04 when I was deeply moved by Allie Scott’s life and passing – her family was living my worst imaginable nightmare.

I knew that I wanted to do something to help end the horror of childhood cancer. Each September means my Light The Night walk is around the corner and I have an opportunity to make a difference.

You can too.

On September 7^th, the first Light The Night walks will commence. Are you ready? Have you registered to join us and make a difference? It’s not too late and it’s very simple.

• Go to http://teams.lightthenight.org/friendsofheroes to search and join a walk.
• Register to receive your active.com account and you can start fundraising online!

September is also Friends of Heroes Awareness Event month. Have you held an awareness event or considered setting one up? Because there is no cure for blood cancers, getting the word out is vital. Through awareness events, we can share why a cure is so important and how Friends of Heroes can make an impact with the grant naming opportunity. (See the Childhood Cancer article to see how it will make a difference!)

Last Thursday, I held an awareness booth and had an amazing night. My co-captain’s daughter raised $13 in paper balloon sales and the contacts we made were priceless. Many people don’t realize that children can and DO get cancer. A 3^rd grade girl who was selling bracelets gave us some of her profits because she wanted to make a difference. A young boy spotted us and introduced his mom, a cancer survivor. She came up to thank us, grateful that she could continue being a wife and mother due to recent research.

This reinforced to me why Friends of Heroes is so important. The money raised through fundraisers like Light The Night has advanced research and developed therapies which SAVES LIVES. It’s incredibly motivating to know that what we do as Friends of Heroes can and will make a difference!

Still not convinced to join this year?

We really need you. Our walkers and team captains are the heart and soul of our team. We had changes this year with a new team name and new logo, a new website and a new forum, but our mission and purpose remain the same. Childhood cancer has not gone away. We need you to help us make a difference and to help us reach the $100,000 to achieve the grant naming. I can’t promise you prizes or that big donations will come your way, but you’ll know you were part of an amazing team that is actively making a difference in the war on cancer. Please join the Friends of Heroes team!

By National Team Co-Captain Jenn B.

p.s. There is still time to fundraise! It’s easy to forward your active.com site or add it to your email signature. Check out the Friends of Heroes Point Challenge and select a few things you can do to raise money and earn points for a prize. Every donation counts whether it is $1, $10, or $100!

p.s.s. We’d love to have you as a team captain! If you’re interested, email Lynette at tcrelations@friendsofheroes.org with your name and walk location for more information.