Welcome to Blood Cancer United

Robert "Robbie" Roesler de Villiers, the son of a well-to-do New York family, was only sixteen when he passed away from leukemia in 1944. Five years later, frustrated by the lack of effective treatments for what was then considered a “hopeless disease,” his parents Rudolph and Antoinette de Villiers started a fundraising and education organization in their son's name. 
 
Headquartered in a small Wall Street office, the Robert Roesler de Villiers Foundation had only a few volunteers and a tiny budget. The task was daunting: Most leukemia patients, especially children, died within three months of being diagnosed. Even by the mid-1950s, when first-generation chemotherapy drugs began to appear, the disease remained a stubborn challenge. The Foundation reported in its 1955 annual report: "As of this date, Leukemia is 100% fatal. This is almost a unique situation among the many diseases to which man is susceptible." 
 
Driven by the de Villiers' belief that leukemia and other blood cancers were indeed curable, the Foundation grew steadily, opening its first chapters in the New York City area. The organization, after changing its name to The Leukemia Society, was renamed The Leukemia Society of America in the 1960s to communicate a broad, national reach. In 2000, it was renamed to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society to reflect the expanding mission of the organization: to serve patients with all types of blood cancer. And now, in 2025, we are Blood Cancer United, representing all blood cancers and delivering crucial support, resources, research, and services to those who need them.