FROM CBB NEWS SOURCE
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – For the fourth straight year, the University of Tennessee baseball team participated in the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Light the Night Walk Thursday evening at Circle Park on the UT campus. Since becoming involved with the event in 2007, the Volunteers have now helped to raise nearly $30,000, including over $5,000 this year, in support of research into the treatment and prevention of cancer.
UT head coach Todd Raleigh, his staff and the entire Vol baseball team participated in Thursday’s event, which is the nation’s night to pay tribute and bring hope to thousands of patients battling blood cancers and to commemorate loved ones lost. Raleigh walked in honor of his oldest brother, John Raleigh III, who he lost to Hodgkin’s disease at the age of 19.
“This is just a fantastic cause and I can’t say thank you enough to everyone who participated,” Raleigh said. “It means a lot to me personally to be involved, but it’s not just me that has been affected. Everyone here has been touched by cancer in some way. I also think it is extremely important for our team to be involved in the Knoxville community and this gives us a chance to come together as a group, support a very worthy cause and learn the importance of helping others who are in need.”
Light The Night participants carry illuminated balloons to celebrate and commemorate lives touched by cancer. Funds raised support the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s mission: cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families.
While this year’s local Light The Night Walk has now taken place, donations are still being accepted. To join the numerous Tennessee fans who have already given to this cause, visit http://pages.lightthenight.org/tn/ETN10/UTBaseball.
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. These treatments have helped patients live better, longer lives. 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 conducted 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.
