Hope Rises from Loss
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) was born out of a family's grief following the death of their teenage son. Robert Roesler de Villiers (left), son of a well-to-do New York family, was only 16 when he quickly succumbed to leukemia in 1944. Five years later, frustrated by the lack of effective treatments for what was then considered a hopeless disease, parents Rudolph and Antoinette de Villiers started a fundraising and education organization in their son's name.

Headquartered in a small Wall Street office, the Robert Roesler de Villiers Foundation had only a few volunteers and a tiny budget. The task was daunting. Most leukemia patients, especially children, died within three months. Even by the mid-1950s, when the first generation chemotherapy drugs began appearing, the disease remained a stubborn challenge. The Foundation reported in its 1955 annual report: "As of this date, Leukemia is 100% fatal. This is almost a unique situation among the many diseases to which man is susceptible."

Driven by the de Villiers' nearly boundless belief that leukemia and other blood cancers were indeed curable, the Foundation grew steadily, opening its first chapters in the New York City area. The organization, after changing its name to The Leukemia Society, was renamed The Leukemia Society of America in the 1960s to communicate a broad, national reach.

Research Innovations
Increased funding from generous donors meant that LLS was able to identify promising young researchers and help support their work. A short list of the researchers and scientific advisors who have been affiliated with LLS over the years reads like a who's who of cancer pioneers and includes three Nobel laureates:

• Joseph Burchenal, M.D., established the chemotherapy program at New York's Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, now the standard model around the world.

• Geoffrey M. Cooper, Ph.D., was a discoverer of oncogenes, which are found in chromosomes and can direct normal cells toward malignancy.

• William Dameshek, M.D., considered one of the world's leading hematologists, was among the first to identify an effective chemo agent.

• Brian Druker, M.D., was a leader in the development of Gleevec^®, a revolutionary non-toxic pill that treats chronic myelogenous leukemia and other cancers.

• Emil Frei III, M.D., pioneered curative treatment of acute lymphocytic leukemia, resulting in prolonged survival.

• Emil Freireich, M.D., is credited with developing platelet pherisis technology.

• Robert Peter Gale, M.D., made headlines in the 1980s when he coordinated medical relief efforts for victims of the Chernobyl medical disaster in the former Soviet Union. Gale also is a noted leukemia researcher and bone marrow transplant expert who helped clone the gene that causes chronic myelogenous leukemia and developed drug treatments for acute myelogenous leukemia and other leukemias.

• Robert Gallo, M.D., co-discoverer of the AIDS virus, was the first to isolate interleuken-2.

• George Hitchings, Ph.D., helped develop 6-mercaptopurine and thioguanine, two of the first and most widely used leukemia drugs. Dr. Hitchings shared the 1988 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine with Gertrude Elion, D.Sc., another LLS scientific advisor.

• George Santos, M.D., was a pioneering bone marrow transplant expert.

• E. Donnall Thomas, M.D., co-recipient of the 1990 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine, was the first scientist to successfully perform a bone marrow transplant between two humans.

• C. Gordon Zubrod, M.D., is considered the "father of the clinical trials concept in oncology."

21^st Century Growth
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, which changed its name from the Leukemia Society of America in 2000 to reflect its commitment to curing all blood cancers, is proud to be playing a major role in the fight against leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma. Since that time LLS has been developing new initiatives that have strengthened the organization's role as the leading private funder of blood cancer research and provider of programs for patients and their families.

With the help of major fundraising campaigns, including Team In Training, the world's largest endurance sports training program, and Light The Night Walk, LLS has awarded more than $600 million in research funding since the first funding in 1954.

The commitment to cutting-edge science has contributed to an unprecedented rise in survival rates for some blood cancers. The relative five-year survival rate for people with leukemia, for example, nearly quadrupled in the past 48 years. Hodgkin lymphoma is now considered one of the most curable forms of cancer, thanks to radiation, chemotherapy or a combination of the two.

A triumvirate of new research programs is already creating tomorrow's treatments and perhaps laying the groundwork for the ultimate cures:

• The Specialized Center of Research (SCOR) - LLS's largest and most innovative research initiative - emphasizes collaboration across universities, labs and national boundaries.

• The Translational Research Program (TRP) supports research that shows strong promise for translating basic biomedical knowledge to new treatments that will ultimately prolong and enhance patients' lives.

• The Career Development Program provides stipends to investigators in the early stages of their careers.

Through its many chapters nationwide and in Canada, LLS offers a wide variety of educational and patient services. They include First Connection, which links newly diagnosed patients to a peer volunteer who has experienced a similar diagnosis; Meet the Expert on Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma and Meet the Doctor programs; teleconferences and Webcasts; support groups; information on the latest clinical trials and treatments; patient financial aid; workshops that address survivorship issues; and an award-winning Web site (www.LLS.org).

With its popular Information Resource Center, LLS connects patients, families and caregivers to oncology nurses and social workers. In 2008, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society made 6.3 million contacts with patients, caregivers and healthcare professionals, helping people find lifesaving and supportive information through every phase of their illness.