It was like the calm after the storm. The clouds went away, and she woke up; and there was no leukemia.

~Dr. Carl June: Fire with Fire

Dear Friends, Family, Foes, and Familiars,

It’s a rainy and deary day here in North Carolina, yet it is also a bright and glorious one. You see, we are in the final days of our local Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) 2013 Man & Woman of the Year (MWOY) campaign. At the moment I wrote this letter, I was sitting at the desk of Tiffany, our Executive Director for the LLS North Carolina Chapter.

Tiffany graciously gave me her space for the day so that I could conduct some meetings here in town. Not only was this simply appreciated, but it also gave me a chance to witness all the effort, hard work, and laughter that goes into the closing preparations of the MWOY campaign.

Before I get to the “ask”, I want to take a moment and reflect and remind. I know it’s been a whirlwind of a Spring, and I know that we are all sometimes a little too busy to be thinking about the LLS, about research, or about the cause. But here’s the reminder: for so many people, they don’t have a choice. They have cancer. They need the LLS. They need the research. They need a cure.

So please, make SOMEDAY, today. http://www.mwoy.org/pages/nc/triangle13/legacy

As for reflections, I have my own often and some are bigger and brighter than others. Last week was one of those. I had the honor of representing North Carolina at the Annual LLS Leadership conference in Orlando. While I was able to share our MWOY successes and tell our story, the true power came from others. I heard about the personal importance the LLS has on its doctors, its employees, its patients, and its volunteers. I heard the survival stories from parents and siblings, and the good work that our money and our research is doing. Everyone there was committed to devoting their time to the cause of curing cancer. Not just blood cancers, but all cancers. To them, someday IS today.

From Orlando, I flew to DC and ran in the Nike Women’s 1/2 Marathon benefiting the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. The purple LLS Team in Training spread as far as the eye could see, and everywhere people proudly wore reminders of “In Honor” and too often, “In Memory”. 15,000 people ran in support of the LLS and their quest to make SOMEDAY, today.

• Last year alone, LLS invested more than $68 million in cutting-edge research
• Nearly 1/2 of  ALL cancer drugs newly approved by the FDA between 2000-2012 were first developed for blood cancer patients
• For more than 60 years, LLS has invested more than $875 million in developing better cancer treatments
  

Take a moment out of your day. someday is today! Donate – http://www.mwoy.org/pages/nc/triangle13/legacy – forward this email, post it on Facebook, and tweet it out. Someday is Today.

With gratitude,

Your 2011 Woman of the Year – NC Triangle Chapter

2011-2013 Chair of the Man & Woman of the Year – Triangle Chapter