Leukemia Lymphoma Society Recognizes Area Residents
Kayla Fox, a 7-year-old Pequannock resident, donated 10 inches of her hair to Locks of Love for kids with hair loss. Kayla's sister Traci, who has leukemia, had experienced hair loss from chemotherapy, and Kayla donated to this organization in her honor. Kayla's hair was cut at Colorforms in Pequannock, by Darlene.
In fact, Relay for Life helped raise the money for Dr. Brian Druker to develop the "miracle" Gleevec, which keeps Traci on a busy schedule that also includes cheerleading. Traci got to meet the physician who changed her life on the "Dr. Oz" show in May. (See YouTube miracle pill.)
All of these events are a way to try to make a difference instead of focusing on the dark side of the disease, said Tim Fox, who serves on the Board of Directors of a nonprofit bone marrow foundation that registered 37,000 donors into the national registry last year.
It’s in harmony with Traci’s own outlook on life with cancer. "She doesn’t stop and she never complains or says, ‘Why me?’" said her father.
Perhaps it’s no surprise then that 15-year-old Traci Fox was recently named Girl of the Year by The Leukemia & lymphoma Society (LLS). She, along with Boy of the Year Shayne James of Midland Park, provided the motivation for folks like Kinnelon native Christopher Johnson to go all out in a competition that generated a net $160,000 for LSS, a nonprofit dedicated to curing blood cancers.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF DIANE FOX
"Her story is truly inspirational," said Johnson, a 30-year-old Hoboken resident, who raised $24,846 for LLS. This put him ahead of nine other male contestants, earning him the title of Man of the Year. Woman of the Year was Beth Wiesner of Ridgewood, who raised more than $55,000 in the contest that ended June 11.
A serious challenge
Johnson took seriously the challenge, which was a change of pace from the triathlons he usually competes in for the benefit of LLS – like the IronmanUSA race in Lake Placid, N.Y., that generated $23,000 for cancer in 2009.
Like training for an Ironman, the pinnacle of triathlons, this fund-raising endeavor took preparation and hard work.
"I spent the first part of it just trying to get the word out through e-mails and Facebook. I set up a Facebook page that people could become fans of and share with their friends and family. This was extremely successful as I was able to reach out to so many people, who I haven’t spoken to in years, most notably from (Kinnelon) high school and Bucknell where I went to college. Once the word was out, I picked a date to have a get together at a bar in New York City so I could continue to spread information about my fund-raising campaign."
A further flood of support came in from a network of people who knew of his Ironman 2009 efforts, Johnson said.
"So many people were inspired and touched by my efforts that they wanted to show continued support," he said.
As a Kinnelon native, Johnson also put the word out to Jen Singer of Smoke Rise, a cancer survivor, who works to spread awareness of the disease.
After hearing of Johnson’s fund-raising success, Singer said, "I was thrilled to hear the great news that Christopher won Man of the Year, a highly prestigious award from The Leukemia & lymphoma Society. I’m sure that other blood cancer survivors share my profound thanks and awe."
State unites for first time
Ashley Basford, LLS campaign coordinator, said, "All of the money that was raised will go toward bettering the quality of life for patients and their families," in areas like research, patient aid, informational programs, and support groups.
"For the first year of a statewide campaign, that’s more than average," she said of the $160,000 net income raised for LLS.
Now that Johnson has earned the Man of the Year title, he’s off for other challenges, including a half ironman on July 18, a marathon in the fall, and next year another ironman in Lake Placid.
"From a philanthropy standpoint, I hope to remain active in LLS…," Johnson said. In addition, he hopes to work with Tim and Traci Fox to promote their nonprofit bone marrow foundation.
At present, the foundation’s goal is to register 50,000 potential bone marrow donors but this means again raising funds. Tim explained that it costs $52 a person for a bone marrow match and the federal government provides funds for just up to 18,000 donors. For more information, contact The Icla da Silva Foundation at www.icla.org.