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Volume 44, Issue 5. Today is
Leukemia fund-raiser lights up the Valley
Residents from the Valley participated in Phoenix’s Light the Night Walk at Tempe Town Lake in efforts to raise funds and awareness for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society on Oct. 14.
Light The Night Walk is The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s nationwide evening Walk to build awareness of blood cancers and raise funds for cures.
Walkers carry illuminated balloons-white for survivors and red for supporters-to celebrate and commemorate lives touched by cancer.
Funds raised by participants support the Society’s mission: cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families.
Teams representing individuals who survived or are currently fighting leukemia and lymphoma have been collecting funds since the beginning of the year. The walk was held in celebration of their fundraising participation.
More than 1,000 participants were present at the walk, including students from MCC.
Mallory Ubach, an MCC student, said this was her second year participating. “I don’t know anyone who has battled leukemia, but I got involved last year through a friend’s volunteer project and I had such a good time that I wanted to do it again this year,” Ubach said.
Nicholas Papadakis, MCC accounting student and team captain for Team Apollo, raised more than $2,000 in honor of his friend Julian Fujimoto who passed away two years ago at the age of 17 from leukemia. “We try to do something every year in honor of Julian. Light the Night is something that we try to get all of our old high school buddies to participate in,” Papadakis said.
Papadakis started soliciting to sporting good stores earlier this year since Fujimoto was an avid sports fan. “The response from people was phenomenal. It just takes a little effort. People are very willing and eager to help out in any way they can,” Papadakis said.
Though the night walk is held once a year, fundraising and awareness continues all year long.
“Just because the walk only happens once a year, it doesn’t mean that the fight doesn’t stop. Cancer doesn’t sleep,” Papdakis said.
The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, visit: