By
Coker Powell, Chief Revenue Officer, Blood Cancer United
Every year, as we move from Thanksgiving into the whirlwind of the holidays, life seems to speed up. Our calendars fill, our routines get disrupted, and expectations seem to multiply. Between family gatherings, school concerts, travel schedules, and the pressure to wrap up the year “just right,” it’s easy to feel stretched thin.
And in seasons like this—when everything feels important—it can be hard to know where to start when it comes to making a difference.
So let me be the one to remind you.
You don’t have to do it all.
Giving shouldn’t feel overwhelming. It should feel meaningful, clear, and doable. When you give here—whether it’s $10, $100, or something more—you know your gift goes exactly where it’s needed most: to benefit people affected by blood cancer who are counting on all of us. And your generosity doesn’t just create impact in one moment—it creates a ripple that keeps going, touching lives you may never meet.
Nowhere is that clearer than in Dawson’s story.
Dawson and Ellie’s stories: Creating ripples of impact
Dawson was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) just days before his fifth birthday. Instead of learning to ride a bike or starting kindergarten, he began two and a half years of chemotherapy.
Even as a child, he noticed what people did for him—the doctors who brought hope, the nurses who helped him laugh, the researchers working behind the scenes, and the donors whose generosity made his treatment possible. Their kindness created the first ripple of impact on his life.
But the moment that transformed him came a few years later, in elementary school.
His class watched Heroes, a video produced by Blood Cancer United (formerly LLS), featuring local survivors—including Ellie, a friend Dawson knew from treatment but hadn’t seen in years. And she was healthy. Seeing her strong and well moved him to tears. It was the first time he truly understood the power of survivorship… and the impact of the community that helped them both get there.
That was another ripple—one that would follow him for years.
Fast forward to today: Dawson and Ellie have reunited—not in a hospital, per se, but in medical school.
Both survivors. Both thriving. Both pursuing careers in medicine because of the people who showed up for them when they needed it most.
Dawson says studying to be a pediatric oncologist wasn’t a single decision—it was a calling shaped by every moment of fear, hope, and healing he experienced as a child. He wants to be the doctor who brings light into rooms where families are holding their breath. He wants to pass forward the same compassion that once lifted him.
And he’s already doing just that. He volunteers. He fundraises. He shares his story when it can help someone else believe they will get to the other side.
“I can’t do everything,” he told us. “But I can do something. I can give back in the way others gave to me.”
Ellie said, "A donation to Blood Cancer United doesn’t just fund research, it gives children and families hope. I am alive today because someone before me gave, and that generosity made my cure possible. Supporting Blood Cancer United means giving the next child, the next family, and the next survivor the chance to create their own story of strength, healing, and life after cancer."
That is the ripple effect in action. One act of generosity inspiring another, and another, and another.
Your gift makes an outsized impact
When you give to Blood Cancer United, you’re not just contributing to a cause—you’re fueling progress that directly touches lives like Dawson’s and creates ripples that continue far beyond the moment you give.
This year, your generosity helped us:
- Fund breakthrough research and next-generation therapies
- Provide financial assistance to families navigating treatment
- Support thousands of specialist-patient connections
- Advocate for policies that make care more affordable and equitable
- Advance clinical trials offering new options—and new hope
Every single dollar moves this work forward. Every single dollar matters.
Because every three minutes, someone hears the words “You have blood cancer.” Every three minutes, a family’s life takes a turn they never expected. Every three minutes, someone new is counting on all of us.
You don’t have to do it all. But we can all do something.
In a season where life feels complicated and time feels short, giving back shouldn’t be hard.
A simple deed—one gift—can create more birthdays, weddings, holidays, and medical school graduations. But it also creates the little things that matter just as much: breakfasts in bed, days on the lake, the change of seasons, and afternoon drives.
Each of these moments is important. And more of them become possible because of every small act of generosity—no matter the size.
Your gift becomes part of a chain of hope, compassion, and progress. It makes a world of difference—and sets in motion new ripples of possibility just like it did for Dawson and Ellie.
You don’t have to do it all. But when you do something—your dollars do the most for people with blood cancer when you give to Blood Cancer United.
Make your ripple.
Donate today and create impact that lasts long beyond the season.
