Congratulations to Charlie Sun for being the top fundraising Team Member. Charlie organized a unique event for Team Hopeful Hearts. Congrats, Charlie!

Our 2019 Honored Hero is Skylar Brownlee!

Skylar was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia at the age of three. After an intense treatment regimen including chemotherapy, she is now a healthy and active seven year old in full remission!

Skylar's Story:

"Right after my dad died suddenly, I stopped walking. My mom thought I was sad, but then the fevers made my doctor think I had strep throat. After I still wasn't walking, blood tests said I had leukemia and I had to live in the hospital for a while. I had surgeries and a port and lots of pill medicines and medicines in my port and in my back that I went to sleep for. I felt very bad and my mom took care of me all the time. So for her birthday I rode a bike after not walking for months! I lost my hair but now it's back and I don't take medicine and I'm in school and  tumbling and ballet and I can do everything I want!"

We are so inspired by Skylar's courage in the face of cancer! She is a remarkably strong young lady. This is why we fight, and we know that beating cancer is in our blood.

Support Skylar and other patients like her with your fully tax deductible donation today, and join Skylar and our 2019 Student of the Year Candidates at the Grand Finale Gala on May 11th! Purchase gala tickets or donate at: https://events.lls.org/sc/greenville19/

21 HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS RAISE OVER $351,506 TO HELP THE LEUKEMIA & LYMPHOMA SOCIETY ORANGE COUNTY INLAND EMPIRE CHAPTER FIGHT CANCER

Costa Mesa, California, March 31, 2019 - 21 local high school philanthropists collectively raised $351,506 in the 3rd Annual 2019 Students of the Year OCIE Campaign.

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) Orange County Inland Empire Chapter hosted their 3rd Annual OCIE Students of the Year Campaign Grand Finale Celebration at Fete the Venue. The evening included a silent auction, cocktail hour, dinner and an inspiring program celebrating local high school philanthropists. 

Blake Kelly, Justin Emi, and Christian Kelly of team Cancer is Wack, were recognized as the 2019 OCIE Students of the Year. The runner up was Luke Hatfield of Team Hero. The Citizenship Awards were presented to Luke Hatfield of Team Hero for Mission, Lily Johnson of team Beat 41 for Volunteerism, Liliana Adzich and Jade Faircloth or team Inspire a Thousand for Community Involvement, and Jennifer Oz of team Wishful Workers for Innovation. Individual results will be posted once all national Student of the Year Campaigns are complete.

The evening’s festivities were hosted by California Coast Auctions’, Zackary Krone.

Mission speakers at the event included:

• 2019 Students of the Year Honored Hero Alexis Buss, an 18 year old acute lymphoblastic leukemia survivor, shared her story and congratulated the 2019 candidates on their efforts to continue raising funds that would benefit both research and patient services for cancer patients.

• Sammy Noija, a 22 year old acute lymphoblastic leukemia survivor, also shared his cancer journey at 9 years old, and how he is alive because of the work that the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society does.

ABOUT STUDENTS OF THE YEAR

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's (LLS) Students of the Year is an exciting leadership development and philanthropy program in which high school students participate in a fundraising competition to benefit LLS. Every dollar raised counts as one vote. The candidates/teams who raise the most money at the end of the 7-week competition earn the title Student(s) of the Year. For motivated high school students, this program ensures they stand out among their peers when engaging with colleges and/or future employers. Through guidance and mentoring from experienced professionals at LLS they will make a real impact in the fight against blood cancers.

ABOUT THE LEUKEMIA & LYMPHOMA SOCIETY

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) is the largest voluntary health organization dedicated to funding research, finding cures and ensuring access to treatments for blood cancer patients. Since 1949, LLS has been on the forefront of blood cancer advances such as chemotherapies and stem cell transplantation leading the way to the targeted therapies and immunotherapies that are saving thousands of lives today. LLS is changing the landscape of cancer with more than 300 active research projects that explore different avenues of new and adventurous research; ones with promise and ones that will save lives not someday, but today.

Find out if your teen has what it takes to participate in this elite leadership program or donate to support the 2019 candidates at https://studentsoftheyear.org/students-year-orange-county

Isaiah Melendez: 2019 Boy of the Year. Journey told by his mother, Brenda Perez:

February 18, 2017, I received the worst news ever. It all started with what I thought a simple hospital visit because Isaiah came down with a fever. The doctor delivered the news gently - Isaiah's red blood cells are low, the white blood cells are low and platelets are low. I quickly learned that having one of out of the three would be an okay situation but, all three being low was not good, not good at all. I looked up at the doctor's face and he muttered, it's CANCER! Never in a million years would I have thought that my son, my baby, my 3 year old has cancer. My body went numb. My biggest fears clouded my mind. I heard my daughter crying in the next room. I then hear Isaiah's father crying "why". I was still trying to grasp the information, but it was like I was brain dead. The news finally sunk in and with tears in my eyes, I asked the Doctor, WHY? What were the symptoms? Is this heredity? What did I do wrong? My answer from anyone and everyone was, I'm so sorry, it just happens! As I started blaming myself, I looked at my pale baby and told him, "Mommy is here" - everything will be ok.

A year later, Isaiah is in remission, still going through chemotherapy treatment and taking several other medications. Even though we still have no answers or a cure, I just thank God my baby is still here by our side.

Our lives changed in a matter of seconds but...we have survived and prevailed. I had to resign from my full time job to take care of Isaiah. I am a single mother raising my two other children as well. As soon as Isaiah was diagnosed with leukemia (ALL) he was admitted to start chemotherapy right away. We spent weeks in the hospital last year due to Isaiah's different reactions to the chemotherapy, fevers he would come down with, spinal taps and other unexpected medical emergencies.

Despite any obstacles he is still one loving and energetic boy who loves powerwheels and dinosaurs! Isaiah loves to play outside with his friends and he is currently learning how to ride a bicycle!