The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Man and Woman of the Year campaign is heating up, with 900 men and women across the U.S. competing to win the coveted title for this year’s campaign.
For 10 weeks in 80 communities across the U.S., candidates engage in a competition to raise the most funds for research for blood cancers, including lymphoma, leukemia, Hodgkin’s disease, and myeloma, to earn the Man and Woman of the Year titles.
Candidates compete in honor of children who are blood cancer survivors. They are known as the Boy and Girl of the Year.
In its 27-year history, the Man & Woman of the Year (MWOY) campaign has raised hundreds of millions of dollars to help fund research to find cures for blood cancer and to ensure that patients have access to treatments. The nonprofit Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) reports that every nine minutes, someone dies of a blood cancer in the United States.
Fundraisers like Man & Woman of the Year help advance research for targeted therapies and immunotherapies; share blood cancer information, education and support for patients and families; and support policies that ensure patients have access to treatments.
“Man and Woman of the Year candidates share a competitive spirit and compassion for others,” Andrew Coccari, LLS executive vice president and chief product officer, said in a press release. “They’re unstoppable in their desire to find cures for blood cancers and are driven to reach their own personal fundraising best.
“They tend to be dynamic, outgoing and well-connected. They’re not only competing for the title, they’re competing to beat blood cancer,” Coccari added.
Louis J. DeGennaro, PhD, LLS president and CEO, said the organization is inspired every year by the “passion and relentless dedication” of the Man and Woman of the Year candidates, as well as the “army of volunteers across the country who support their campaigns.”
“These special people give so much of themselves in their efforts to raise funds to support LLS’s mission,” DeGennaro said. “For these influential individuals, it’s not just about the title, it’s all about the impact they are making in their communities for LLS.”
Go here if you know an extraordinary candidate for the Man & Women of the Year competition.
