The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society - Gulf Coast

Visionaries of the Year is excited to announce ANOTHER incredible candidate joining the 2025 Visionaries of the Year Campaign! Peri Patel, Creator of Let's Be Clear, who will be joining the 2025 class! Peri won Team Member of the Year last year raising over $50,000 in honor of her husband Anuj. Peri has decided to continue her incredible legacy as a candidate this year and we thank her for signing up to save lives! 🤩 Please help us welcome Peri and thank her for advocating for patients and caregivers!! 🩸#llsvisionaries

Please help us welcome our FIRST 2025 Visionaries of the Year Candidate, Sarah Rabourn !! 👏 Let's congratulate Sarah for signing up to save lives and joining LLS to improve the lives of those touched by blood cancer! Please help us welcome Sarah and thank her for advocating for patients and caregivers!! #llsvisionaries

We are thrilled to welcome Mimi P. from Ohana Real Estate Investors as our newest addition to the Big Climb Executive Committee! We are so thankful for leaders like Mimi who have a passion for seeing a world without blood cancers. Thank you Mimi for stepping up to the task and for #steppinguptotakecancerdown! For more information on Big Climb or how to get involved, reach out to Gregory Cohen Greg.Cohen@lls.org! #StepUpToTakeCancerDown #BigClimbHouston #BloodCancerAwareness #ClimbConquerCure

In March 2023, our world was turned upside down. Hayden, a bright and spirited 6-year-old with a passion for football and a laugh that could light up a room, started complaining about unexplained aches and fatigue. On March 3rd, after numerous tests and anxious consultations, we got the devastating news: leukemia. It felt like the ground had shifted beneath us, and suddenly, our lives were measured not by ordinary days but by the relentless cycles of treatments and uncertainty. The first few months were a whirlwind. Hayden started his chemotherapy, and with it came a grueling routine of hospital visits, medications, and tough side effects. The nausea, hair loss, and extreme fatigue were harsh, but even at his weakest, Hayden was incredibly brave. He would smile through the discomfort and keep his spirit up, his eyes still shining with the same determination he had when he first learned to throw a football. We leaned on our faith and found strength in praying together, asking God for the strength to get through each day. Chemotherapy is a rollercoaster, with its own highs and lows. Hayden’s courage is often tested, but he has faced every challenge with a resilience and a smile that inspires everyone around him. Summer 2024 was a big turning point. Hayden’s health started to improve, and even though there is still a long way to go, we let ourselves feel hopeful. We spent more time outside, soaking up the sunlight and fresh air that had been missing during all those hospital months. Hayden got back to playing football and baseball with his teammates. We also enjoyed traveling a bit and simply spending time together, making the most of every moment. In July of 2025, Hayden will ring the bell in the hospital, a tradition for patients who finish their cancer treatment. That bell will mean so much more than just a piece of metal; it will symbolize Hayden’s incredible courage, resilience, and the love that carried him through the darkest times. This journey has been long and challenging, filled with heartache and triumph. But Hayden’s story is a testament to the power of hope, the strength of family, and the unbreakable spirit of a young boy who faced leukemia with remarkable bravery, guided by faith and the support of everyone who loves him. Hayden and his family can't wait to Light The Night with you in Montgomery County, TX on November 3, 2024.

We are grateful for our incredible LLS Light The Night sponsors! A HUGE thank you to Memorial Hermann Health System The Woodlands Medical Center for their continued generosity throughout the years. With their support, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society can fund critical cancer researchers, support patients, their families, and grow closer to a world without blood cancers. We can't wait to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of Light The Night Montgomery County with you on Sunday, November 3, 2024. #BEtheLight #LightTheNightMontgomeryCounty #LLS #20thAnniversary Interested in being a sponsor for Light The Night Montgomery County, contact Tiffany S. Robinson at Tiffany.Robinson@lls.org Linda Nelson Justin Kendrick

We’re excited to share that we will be doing two Light The Night Challenge Strategy Workshops, and we would love for you to attend one. The Houston Challenge Strategy Workshop will be Thursday, August 22nd, 2024, from 5:00pm-7:00pm, and the Montgomery County Challenge Strategy Workshop will be Wednesday, August 28th, from 5:00pm-7:00pm. During these workshops, you will have the opportunity to meet some amazing challengers and learn some successful campaign strategies to start working on before the Challenge kick-off in September. To RSVP for the workshop, please contact Shauna Huffington at Shauna.Huffington@lls.org.

We are so excited to announce our Big Climb 2025 Co-Chairs, Denna K. Arias and Victor A Arias! Denna and Victor have been such incredible The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society #LLS volunteer leaders and we can't wait to kick off the new season under their leadership! Thank you to Denna and Victor for #SteppingUpToTakeCancerDown.   To learn more, reach out to Gregory Cohen at Greg.Cohen@lls.org or comment below.   Together, we #ClimbConquerCure! #BigClimbHouston #Houston #BloodCancerAwareness

In just 8 weeks, you can contribute to the fight against blood cancers! Join us as an Executive Challenger or an Emerging Leader to fundraise for this life-saving cause. We provide all the tools and guidance you need to succeed! Ready to make a difference? Send a message to Patricia Alner, Patricia.Alner@lls.org for Montgomery County Light The Night and Tiffany S. Robinson, Tiffany.Robinson@lls.org for Houston! #BloodCancerAwareness #Fundraising #MakeAnImpact #LLS #LTNHouston #LTNMontgomeryCounty #MoCo #MontgomeryCountyTexas

No one expects to hear the words “You have cancer”. I sure didn’t. In January 2015, when the campus clinic doctor at my university compassionately looked into my eyes and handed me a paper with the word “Leukemia”, my vision and hearing began to blur. I only half-heard the words out of her mouth after that. It was literally like you see in the movies when the patient gets the bad news, and the rest of the conversation fades into the background. I was at what I thought to be the prime of my life, a sophomore in college, just starting to come out of my shell that I had been comfortable in my entire life. I called my mom, the voice of reason in my life, and she held it together for me when I couldn’t.   The following 7 days were a whirlwind and before I knew it, I was at MD Anderson gearing up to start chemotherapy. After chemotherapy and some brief radiation, I needed a stem cell transplant. At that time, I learned that African Americans and other people of color are significantly less likely to find a bone marrow match from the community. My siblings, who were the best chance of matching with me, were too young at the time to test. My father ended up donating his bone marrow as a half-match, that saved my life.   The cancer treatment itself was just half the battle. I had to deal with fevers, GVHD, painful bone marrow biopsies, medication side effects, and more. I had to take a break from school while going through treatment, and it felt like my life itself was put on pause.   Nowadays, I am working as a pediatric oncology social worker, bringing some help and hope to those who are walking in the same shoes I once walked in. I’m healthy, happy, and incredibly blessed. Destiny and her family can't wait to walk with you at Light The Houston. To learn more about Light The Night Houston, or how you can be an Honored Hero, please email Tiffany S. Robinson at Tiffany.Robinson@lls.org.

#BigClimbHouston is so proud to be honored with the National Big Climb Ascension Award! This award is for Big Climb events that have seen outstanding growth. We couldn't be more grateful to have received this recognition. Thank you to our incredible volunteers, donors and climbers for making this happen. Your commitment to the LLS mission is helping us to climb, conquer and CURE! For More information on how to get involved with next year's Big Climb, email Gregory Cohen at Greg.Cohen@lls.org. #BigClimb #BloodCancerAwareness #ClimbConquerCure