History & Mission:
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society is the world’s largest private organization concerned solely with funding research toward cures for blood cancers such as leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma, and improving the quality of life of patients and their families. The Society was established in 1949 as the deVilliers Foundation, named in memory of Robert Roesler deVilliers who died of leukemia at the age of sixteen.
The Society is dedicated to being one of the top-rated voluntary health agencies in terms of dollars that directly fund the mission: 75% of the Society’s expenditures are directed to research, patient and community services, advocacy and education.
The Society has 66 chapters nationwide, and the National Capital Area Chapter is the highest revenue-generating chapter in the nation. The National Capital Area Chapter serves Washington, DC; the Maryland counties of Prince George and Montgomery; and the Virginia counties of Loudoun, Fairfax, Arlington, Alexandria, and Prince William. More than 1,000 patients and more than 4,000 family members are served each year in this chapter. The chapter is expected to raise nearly $13 million this year.
Programs:
RE RESEARCH: Since inception, the Society has invested close to $483 million in the careers of some of the best researchers in the world investigating cures and treatments for blood cancers since . Original research, sponsored by the Society, has consistently introduced dramatic treatment innovations for blood cancers as well as for other cancers and diseases. The Society funds between 450-480 researchers in 21 countries. In addition, Society funded research has been utilized in other types of cancer treatments, including breast, prostate, ovarian, and gastrointestinal.
PATIENT SERVICES: The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society provides a wide range of services to patients such as family support groups, a peer-support network, an extensive educational web site with web “chat” support programs, free seminars and conferences, a toll-free Information Resource Center staffed by Masters-level nurses and social workers, and patient financial aid.
ADVOCACY: The Society’s advocacy program has provided a strong voice in Washington, DC, representing the health care quality and medical research interests of patients and their families to policy makers at all levels of government.
EDUCATION: The Society aims to serve as the world’s foremost source of information on blood-related cancers. Programs include an Information Resource Center, an extensive collection of free educational materials, professional education and an ever-growing website.
Disease Information:
Leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma are cancers that affect the blood forming and infection fighting organs –mainly the bone marrow and lymph nodes. They are related because they involve the uncontrolled growth of cells with similar functions and organs. Currently, an estimated 747,465 Americans have blood cancers. This year, approximately 114,530 Americans will be diagnosed with leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma, and more than 54,480 people will die. Every five minutes someone is diagnosed with a blood cancer and every 10 minutes someone dies.
The death rate for children with leukemia in the US has declined 76% during the past four decades. Despite this decline, leukemia is still a leading disease-killer of children under age 20. Leukemia and lymphoma are the leading fatal cancers in young men under 35. The rate of lymphoma in women under 45 has been steadily increasing in the last few years.
In the past decade, new drugs have been developed and used with increasing success. New horizons in treatment include immunotherary, gene therapy, advances in the use of transplantation and translational research, all under investigation by national and international researchers supported by grants offered by the Society.
