Every 3 minutes someone in the US is diagnosed with Leukemia – that is 480 people each day. The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) is the world’s largest voluntary, nonprofit organization devoted to curing leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma, Hodgkin’s disease, and other blood cancers and dedicated to funding blood cancer research, providing numerous education platforms, and patient service.
The mission of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society was founded after a family’s grief following the death of their teenage son. On October 20, 1944, Robert “Robbie” Roesler de Villiers was only 16 when he died due to leukemia. After five years, the parents grew frustrated with the lack of effective treatments for what was accounted for as a “hopeless” disease; they started a fundraising and educational organization in honor of their son, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, originally the Robert Roesler de Villiers Foundation (founded 1949).
With only a few volunteers and limited funds, the Robert Roesler de Villiers Foundation operated in a small office in Wall Street. Throughout the 3 months of research and fighting for a cure, the majority of leukemia patients, particularly children, unfortunately passed away. The illness continued to be a persistent problem even after the first generation of chemotherapy medications started to appear in the 1950s. The Foundation stated in its annual report in 1955, “As of this date, leukemia is 100% fatal. This is almost a unique situation among the many diseases to which man is susceptible.”
The foundation gradually expanded and grew, establishing its initial chapters in the New York region, driven by Villiers’ belief that leukemia and other blood cancers are curable. In order to become nationwide, the foundation changed its name to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society in the 1960s.
Since 1949, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society has invested $1.8 billion in ground-breaking research, contributing to establishing many of the innovative approaches used today. They helped advance immunotherapy, targeted therapies, and precision medicines. They work endlessly to ensure that blood cancer patients can access life-saving treatments providing a range of support services, including financial assistance, educational resources, and access to clinical trials for patients. They are making an impact in the cancer community by providing hope, education, and support to patients, patient families, and the blood cancer community as a whole.
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