Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
Founded in 1949, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society is the largest voluntary organization that is dedicated to funding research on blood cancer. It also aims at increasing awareness among patients and caregivers with regards to the condition to ensure better disease management. The aim of the organization is to find a cure for leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma.
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society has created an Information Resource Center that provides support, information and care for people who suffer from blood cancer, their families and health professionals who are dedicated to helping blood cancer patients. They have specialists like social workers, nurses and health educators to help in the process. The organization has 64 chapters across the country and also has 4 chapters in Canada as well.
The organization arranges various events for fundraising. Some of these include "Team in Training", "Light the Night Walk" and "School and Youth". While the Team in Training is an endurance sports training program where volunteers compete in endurance sports, Light the Night Walk is a community based walk that celebrates those who are fighting against this deadly disease. Special fundraising events are also organized by various chapters on their own as well.
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society has provided more than $600 million for research in this area. A lot of myths associated with the problem have also been busted among patients, family members and medical professionals too. The organization has also been effective in bringing most of the medical fraternity at a common ground of understanding this disease.
There are various ways in which individuals can help the organization raise funds too. You can donate online or make a donation at any of the centers. There is also a possibility of leaving your legacy to the organization. Volunteering to work with the group is also another way in which you can make a difference.
Purpose
Leukemia & Lymphoma Society was created with a single minded focus of finding a cure for leukemia and other related blood cancers. Specifically the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society states that their mission is to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkins disease and myeloma and improve the quality of the life of patients and their families.
The vision that the organization has includes moving closer to the goal of finding a cure for blood cancer. Some of the areas of focus include funding blood cancer research projects in order to move closer towards the development of a new and promising treatment for blood cancers. They also believe that they should give the opportunity to a large number of people to participate in clinical trials. It is also believed that giving access to information to patients and caregivers can help significantly in making things easier for them.
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society promises to evolve as a world class organization by ensuring that they hire the best talent in order to carry out meaningful research. In addition to that the staff and volunteers that are included in the program are expected to be extremely dedicated towards this cause.
The long term vision of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society dreams of creating a better future for people who are suffering from blood cancer. They hope to be able to have a higher cure ratio for people with blood cancers. They also hope that they shall be able to help people who continue to need cures, treatments and therapies.
Given the kind of area that the people at the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society operate in, the organization is aware of the level of motivation that is required to relentlessly continue the work that has been started without giving up hope. This is one trait that you will find in all researchers and workers at the various chapters of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
History
Like in the case of many charitable organizations, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society was born out of grief that followed the untimely death of a teenage son due to leukemia. Robert Roesler de Villiers, the son of a prominent family in New York died at the age of 16 as he succumbed to this deadly disease in 1944. His parents Rudolph and Antoinette de Villiers started this fundraising and educational organization in their son's name because they were extremely frustrated with the lack of understanding and effective treatment options available.
The Robert Roesler de Villiers Foundation had a small budget and few volunteers. It was located in a small Wall Street office. At this stage, leukemia patients, especially children, died within three months of detection. Even though chemotherapy had appeared on the scene, the first generation chemotherapy had many side effects. The struggle against the medical condition was still nowhere in sight.
The name of the organization was changed to "The Leukemia Society" and then later in 1960s to "The Leukemia Society of America" as they increased their presence across the nation. Over time the society was able to identify good talent and attract them towards researching leukemia and associated conditions.
There have been various researches that have been associated with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. The standard model of chemotherapy used was started in 1950s by Joseph Burchenal, M.D., at the New York's Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. The discovery of oncogenes can be attributed to Geoffrey M. Cooper, Ph.D. William Dameshek, M.D., discovered the first effective chemotherapy agent and Brian Druker was a significant contributor to the development of Gleevec. This was a revolutionary nontoxic pill that could treat a specific kind of leukemia and other cancers as well. It has also been approved by the FDA. The use of platelets transfusion, the isolation of interleukin - 2, the invention of 6-mercaptopurine and thioguanine, bone marrow transplant and more, are some of the milestones in the history of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
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