In 2016, I joined The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) Tennessee Chapter as a supportive member of Team Addie. I had friends who became team members the previous year, walking in Nashville’s Light The Night Walk (LTN), and they encouraged me to get involved in the cause with LLS and LTN. Nashville is a city that my friends and I have gained so much love for through the years. I must admit I was hesitant to join at first because blood cancer specifically hadn’t affected my life or the people in it. I soon started being moved by stories that were shared, many inspiring and heartfelt, and many heart-wrenching. The more I learned about LLS and all the great work they were doing, the more I wanted to be a part of something meaningful, to help give others the chance to live happy, healthy lives again while reaching their full potential. Throughout my life, family members and friends have battled various other cancers, each with a different outcome and different stories that are still being written. Being a part of LLS has become a way to honor them and show my love and support while helping to raise awareness.
In 2018 and 2019, I connected with my local Ann Arbor, Michigan, chapter, volunteering to participate in their Light The Night walk and festivities. Throughout my life, I’ve volunteered with various non-profit organizations and have participated in weeklong trips engaging with various social issues as well. I’ve had a passion for volunteerism since I was in high school many years ago. Being involved with LLS and LTN for nine years (and counting), the passion remains, and I’m proud to be a part of the LLS family as a supporter and in memory of those I’ve known who lost their cancer battles and/or who are still fighting to live in a world without cancer. I continue to be inspired, having written an original poem titled “When the Stars Shine Bright” about the Light The Night walk through my eyes, my experience. I continue my fundraising efforts year-round for LLS through my volunteerism working concessions at various entertainment events in Detroit. I continue to participate in the annual Light The Night walk in Nashville, Tennessee, traveling from Michigan to do so as I’ve found a supportive LLS staff and group of friends who believe in the same meaningful cause. It is a night I look forward to; being inspired ― feeling the love and kindness from so many while making a positive impact to raise awareness about blood cancer with the hopes of finding a cure for all, so one day the white lanterns will outnumber the gold lanterns.
Holly
volunteer, supporter, donor
