You’ve always been a great supporter of mine and I’m asking for your support once again.
As you may remember, in 2011 I was honored to participate in The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Man & Woman of the Year campaign in Indianapolis. I ran in honor of the Boy of the Year, Luke, pictured here. At the time, Luke was seven years old and had recently completed 3 ½ years of treatment for the most common form of childhood leukemia, acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Today, seven years later, Luke gets to be a typical teenage boy! With the gracious support of many in 2011, I raised over $60,000 to fund LLS’s mission of finding a cure for blood cancers and won the title of Woman of the Year. Since then, I have worked closely with LLS to continue to raise money for blood cancer research.
This year, I’m proud to be nominated to represent Indianapolis in the 2018 All-Star Alumni National Man & Woman of the Year campaign. I am one of 13 Woman of the Year Alumni candidates across the country “competing” for the National title. As you know, I am quite the competitive person, complemented by a big dose of compassion. This challenge really suits these both sides of me. We are judged solely on a philanthropic basis--whoever raises the most money for LLS during the timeframe is named the winner. The 10-week campaign runs March 8 – May 19.
During my efforts I’ll be representing Jillian and Maddox. Jillian is a firecracker of a little girl who was diagnosed with leukemia in December 2011. Jillian is in remission, but suffers from neurological, orthopedic and behavioral issues due to her chemotherapy. Maddox was diagnosed in October 2015 and will complete his nearly 3 ½ years of treatment in January 2019. I will be thrilled to see the day when these two brave children are able to lead a typical teenager’s life, as Luke is today.
I believe in what LLS does and I believe that what we are doing IS making a difference. Please continue to support me in this fight as we help save lives and improve the quality of life for these patients and their families.
If you have a healthy child, grandchild, niece or nephew, will you please make a generous donation in appreciation of the good health of your loved ones? This donation will help find a cure so that EVERY child can live leukemia-free!!
Donate Online: http://pages.mwoy.org/in/indy18/ksmith
Write a Check: Make payable to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
Everyone making a donation of $500+ will be invited to a private VIP summer pool party at our home, Fenix.
