The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Blog

A comprehensive look at The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society [Video]

millss — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 19:46:54 GMT

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) is an extraordinarily busy non-profit. We’ve got patient programs, research funding initiatives, advocacy programs and so many events that it’s hard to decide which one (or ones) to participate in. Even for someone who works here, it’s hard to fully comprehend the breadth of work that we do on behalf of our mission to fight blood cancers.

We just posted our most recent video that gives the public a chance to see and listen to staff, including our CEO, John Walter, talk about what we’re doing in the fight against blood cancers. It's 10 minutes long and well worth the watch.

Also check out our great mission video that features real blood cancer patients and/or their families.

Share your thoughts in a comment below – did you learn something new about LLS through these videos?

Play2Cures – Play online casual games to fight cancer

millss — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 14:46:52 GMT

Last week we launched Play2Cures, a website where you can help us raise $100,000 in 100 days by playing casual games. We launched in collaboration with PledgePlay, a company born out of father Jim Carol’s experience with dealing with his son, Taylor, being diagnosed with leukemia. Check out the video that talks more about Taylor's story.

So how does Play2Cures work?

Make a pledge. First you pledge any amount you prefer (minimum is $10) with your credit card – don’t worry your credit card information is secure. Each dollar you pledge gets you one Game Token, and one token can be used to play one game.

Play a game. Now that you have at least 10 tokens you can play one of five games: Putt Nutz (a little like miniature golf), SudokuSave (a cross between Sudoku and Tetris), Seven Solitaire (basic solitaire – but with fun music and animations), Ladybug (you need good eye-hand coordination) and MusicCatch (a bit mesmerizing).

Share those tokens. If you don’t think you can use all of your tokens or if you think a friend would enjoy playing games to cure blood cancers, you can email them and share some of your tokens.

Take a look at the leaderboard. If you’re the competitive type, swing by the rankings page to see how you compare to your fellow gamers.

Playing online casual games might not be your cup of tea (I’ll admit I’m pretty hooked on games myself), but remember you can still donate and give all of those tokens away to someone who does like to play. You can also show your support by posting one of our web badges on your website or social networking page.

There are also many other ways to support The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. You can send us a donation, participate in one of our events, volunteer – and much more.

Learn more about Play2Cures via our press release and lls.play2cures.org.

Researchers: Apply for a Career Development Program Grant

millss — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 16:01:57 GMT

Each year The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) awards research grants through the Career Development Program (CDP) to professionals who do important research related to cancer, including blood cancers. This research is critical in improving cancer treatment, and potentially in cancer prevention.

If you are a researcher and would like LLS to fund your research, visit our CDP webpage where you can learn more about what we award, as well as details on what we need from you.

Here are a few details:

Your letter of intent (required) is due by 3:00pm ET on September 15
Full applications are due by 3:00pm ET on October 1.
We will use proposalCentral for both the letter of intent and full application.

For more information, including guidelines and instructions, visit the CDP webpage.

It’s easier to find clinical trials for blood cancer patients with TrialCheck®

millss — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 20:19:45 GMT

Exciting news! On August 7, 2008 The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) announced the new TrialCheck® service which was launched collaboratively with the Coalition of Cancer Cooperative Groups.

This is great for a couple of reasons.

First, we support clinical trials as being one of the most viable treatment options for blood cancer patients. Clinical trials have gotten a bad rap, but the truth is that participation in research studies provides patients with access to treatment that is at least as high quality as standard care. Many patients who are involved in clinical trials also say they are glad to have the opportunity to help other cancer patients.

Second, we're doing this because we're interested in making it as easy as possible to find cancer clinical trials near you. Clinical trials aren’t for everyone, but if you are interested in exploring this option it’s literally just a few keystrokes and clicks of the mouse to get to the information you need.

So how does it work?

Once you are on the TrialCheck® website, you will be prompted to fill out a short questionnaire. This will tell the system what clinical trials to display for you in the final search results.

Your results will be displayed after you click the “Show Results” button. If you choose to enter your zip code, the clinical trials that are closest to that zip code will display first, making it easy to find convenient options if distance is a concern for you.

You can also save your search results so you don't have to do the same search again; all you have to do is register. You can also email the results to others.

Not sure what a clinical trial is, or concerned it might not be for you? Visit our Clinical Trial Service webpage to learn more about the ins and outs of clinical trials.

Visit the TrialCheck® website today to find a clinical trial near you.

Have you participated in a clinical trial before? Is it something you would do again if you had to do it all over?

From the Action Center: Clinical Trials in Danger - Urge your member of Congress to Support HR 2676

millss — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 21:35:43 GMT

Currently, many adults do not participate in clinical trials because insurance companies refuse to cover routine care expenses for patients who choose to enroll in a clinical trial. Increasing participation in clinical trials is one of the best ways to speed new cures to the doctor’s office, the hospital bedside, and the infusion room. Fortunately, Congresswoman Deborah Pryce has introduced a measure, H.R. 2676, which would require insurance companies to cover routine care expenses for patients enrolled in clinical trials. However, Congresswoman Pryce’s measure needs your help. Please contact your member of Congress to urge them to cosponsor H.R. 2676.