September is Blood Cancer Awareness Month, and in honor of that, I thought I would bring a little awareness to this blog (along with some cute orange and purple outfit inspiration, as orange and purple are the colors for leukemia and Hodgkin lymphoma, respectively). This is a cause that’s really important to me, so I wanted to share it with you today.
What are blood cancers? There are three main types of blood cancer: leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma.
Leukemia affects the white blood cells, specifically the leukocytes, which help your body’s immune response to fight infection. Fun fact: the species name for bald eagles is leucocephalus, so the word root “leuc” or “leuk” means white—white like the blood cells, white like a bald eagle’s head. Leukemia is the leading cancer in children and teens.
Lymphoma affects a different kind of white blood cells, the lymphocytes, which are small and help make antibodies to fight disease. Lymphocytes are found in your blood, bone marrow, and lymph glands.
Myeloma affects plasma cells, which you can think of as more advanced, fancier versions of lymphocytes. These also help create antibodies and guard your body against disease.
How many people are affected by blood cancers? According to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s website, almost 1.3 million people in the USA either currently have or have had one of the three cancers mentioned above.
How can I help? There are tons of ways to get involved and make a difference. You can donate money, participate in events, or just volunteer your time.
Some events to get involved in include stair climbs and Team in Training. The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) organizes stair climbs each year in which a city’s firefighters race to the top of very tall skyscrapers in full gear and on air. Volunteers can also raise money and climb separately from the firefighters. The strenuous exercise is symbolic of the difficult journey that so many cancer patients face, and each step taken is a step closer to finding a cure to blood cancers. You can check out Seattle’s stair climb website here, but there are a lot of events across the nation in major cities.
Team in Training is also through LLS, and you can join a team to run marathons, do triathlons, hike, cycle, or climb to raise money for research. You can check out their website here. Someday, I’ll run a marathon with them. Well, more like walk a marathon, but you know what I’m saying. 😉
Thank you so much for stopping by the blog today. I hope you found this post informational. Swing by on Friday to find out why you CAN wear white after Labor Day, and have a great day!
Miles of smiles,
Original Blog Posts in Order of Appearance: A Unique Party Outfit, Art by Fashion: A Puerto Rican Mask, So Long, 2016, Sunset Skirt, Purple Plaid, Orange Camo, A Splash of Purple, Complementary, Pretty in Purple Wall Art