In our lifetime, 1 in 2 men and 1 in 3 women will be diagnosed with cancer. Every 15 minutes, 50 Americans are diagnosed with cancer. An estimated 40% of Americans will be diagnosed with cancer at some point in their lifetime! I joined the SAA community so that, together, we can change that. I am challenging myself by swimming and raising as much money to fight cancer as I can. Please support me by sponsoring my swim and making a gift. The money you give will go towards cancer research - to our very own CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL COLORADO!

My personal connection to this cause is an exceptionally strong and brave little girl named Piper. She is the daughter of my favorite teacher, Mr. Lardes. He has impacted my life in so many ways - I wish everyone could have a teacher as great as him. The more I learned about the struggles he and his family went through with Piper's cancer journey, the more this cause has meant to me. I'm hoping that I can help grow awareness and funding so that families like his and kids like Piper will have the best chance a happy ending on their own cancer journey.

Specifically, the money our swim raises will benefit:

Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders at Children's Hospital Colorado

- The acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) research project, led by Drs. Amanda Winters, Taizo Nagano, and Craig Forester will bring new therapies into Phase 2 clinical trials for pediatric MDS and AML and better define how to diagnose, classify and treat MDS patients.

- The tumor research project, led by Dr. Adam Green, will characterize the immune response to new brain tumors to better establish which types are amenable to cancer immunotherapy =, and provide a new prognostic marker for these diseases.

- The sepsis biomarker project,, let by Dr. Leonora Slatnick, will lead to novel ways of diagnosing and managing infections complications in immunosuppressed patients.

- The CAR-T Cell project, led by Dr. Lindsey Murphy and collaborating with Dr. Winters and members of the BMT-Cellular Therapeutics team, aims to use novel laboratory methods for detecting CAR T cells in patients who are receiving CAR T cell therapies, in order to understand how patients respond to these therapies and improve cure rates.

 Thank you for your generosity and may it lead to a cancer-free world!

Let's take a bite out of cancer!

Ace