Ozie Pela VOY Campaign for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Fund

Over 70 years ago, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) was founded by a family that lost its son to leukemia—a disease that was considered fatal at the time. Since its founding, LLS has evolved into the world’s largest nonprofit dedicated to fighting blood cancers, pioneering many of today’s most innovative cancer treatments and therapies. Despite our tremendous progress, one simple fact remains: nearly 50,000 individuals lose their battle against cancer every year in the U.S. alone, and, unfortunately, some of those individuals are children. I am participating in The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Visionaries of the Year (VOY) program. VOY is a ten-week philanthropic competition for leaders in New Jersey seeking to make an impact in the fight against cancer. I decided to enter the competition because I’ve personally saw people who lost their life to cancer. As health care costs in the country rise, I felt that partnering with LLS and participating in this campaign will allow me to help provide support to families impacted by cancer.