Dear Friends and Family,

Welcome to our Light The Night Walk homepage. The Light The Night Walk is The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's evening walk and fundraising event. It is the nation's night to pay tribute and bring hope to thousands of people battling blood cancers and to commemorate loved ones lost.

In the last year, two families that occupy a huge place in our lives were forever impacted by lymphomas. One family lost their beautiful daughter after a three-year struggle with this "curable" disease that began just as she was starting college. The other is continuing a difficult course of treatment for their sweet and lovely middle daughter's second round of lymphoma. After beating one type at the age of 16, she learned during her high school graduation festivities that she had been visited by another type of lymphoma. Instead of beginning college on the scholarship she had earned, she is currently working on getting her blood counts up to the point she can begin radiation treatments after a difficult course of chemotherapy. We can only imagine what these families have gone through, and what they continue to deal with. These diseases can be beaten, but only with the help of those who are fortunate enough to be able to contribute resources.

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) funds lifesaving research that has contributed to major advances in the treatment of blood cancers and treatments for other types of cancer, such as chemotherapy and stem cell transplants. New targeted therapies that kill cancer cells without harming normal tissue are providing drugs and procedures that are improving quality of life.

In fact, in 2009 alone, LLS researchers were conducting more than 90 clinical trials, a critical step in the development of new treatments and cures that will help patients live better, longer lives.

• A donation of $25 provides patients and their loved ones with FREE booklets that contain up-to-date information on their disease and help them make informed decisions about their treatment options.
• A donation of $50 makes possible a Family Support group with a trained facilitator where comfort can be found and experiences can be shared among patients and family members.
• A donation of $100 helps supply laboratory researchers with supplies and materials critical to carrying out their search for cures.
• A donation of $1,000 makes possible one- on-one conversations with health care specialists who provide patients with information about their disease, treatment options, and helps prepare them with questions for their health care team.

Please make a donation to support my family's participation in the San Antonio Light The Night Walk next month -- you will be helping to save lives. Be sure to check my Web site frequently to see our progress, and thanks for your support!

The Kolling Family