Meet The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Of LI, NY: Aiming To Cure Blood Cancer

MELVILLE, NY — Local charities are the unsung heroes of our communities. Nonprofit and not-for-profit organizations strive to create lasting change and positively impact the lives of those around them.

Some people start organizations as a way to cope with grief, some see an issue they want to tackle, and some want to bring lasting change. Sometimes, all those reasons apply.

Patch wants to highlight your local charity and connect it with community members who want to help and do good, so that way, more people can benefit. Here is just one of many charities doing terrific work in your community.

What is your name?

Andrea Nangle

What is the name of your charity?

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS)

What is your position within your charity?

Manager, Patient and Community Outreach – Metro NY

What community is your organization based in?

National headquarters based in Rye Brook, NY

National organization delivering the mission locally, including in the Metro New Region encompassing Long Island and the five boroughs of NYC.

Link to your website

www.lls.org/support-resources

What is your mission?

Cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families.

What does your charity do to further its mission? Please list examples.

• Research – LLS is the largest funder of cutting-edge research to advance cures in the blood cancer field and has invested nearly $1.7 billion in research.
• Advocacy – Through our nationwide grassroots network of more than 100,000 volunteers, we advocate for policies at the state and federal level in a commitment to remove barriers to care for cancer patients.
• Patient Access and Support – As the leading source of free blood cancer information, education and support for patients, survivors, families and healthcare professionals, LLS helps patients navigate their cancer treatment and ensures they have access to quality, affordable and coordinated care. LLS has a wide range of free emotional, educational and financial support resources, including local events, volunteer opportunities and patient education programs.

What inspired you to start your charity?

LLS was born out of a family’s grief following the death of their teenage son, Robert "Robbie" Roesler de Villiers. Robbie was the son of a well-to-do New York family, who died at the age of 16 when he 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 fundraising an education organization in their son’s name. The Robert Roesler de Villiers Foundation grew steadily to have a national presence and was renamed The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) in the 1960s to communicate its broad, national reach. In 2024, LLS is proudly celebrating its 75th anniversary and remains more committed than ever to achieving our vision of a world without blood cancer.

How can people help you accomplish your organization's mission or get involved in events?

Community members are invited to get involved in our incredible mission support activities. Whether it is supporting our patient and community outreach team as a volunteer, donating to a local financial assistance fund for our Metro NY community, attending our heartwarming annual Light The Night walk each fall, signing up for our Visionaries of the Year campaign to showcase your fundraising skills, or honing your leadership talents in our Student Visionaries of the Year campaign, we have something for everyone! You can sign up to volunteer here: https://www.lls.org/volunteer

What is the most memorable moment you've had since starting your organization?

LLS has countless memorable moments each day as we continue to reach patients and families in need of our support. While impossible to highlight just one, what we are most proud of at LLS are the millions of memorable moments that blood cancer patients and their families have had the opportunity to create thanks to the advances we have made in our 75 years in business. We’ve invested over $1.5 billion in blood cancer research that has led to groundbreaking therapies like CAR T-immunotherapy and Gleevec—both of which have become mainstays in cancer care that support long-term remission and have pioneered a new era of precision medicine that is helping patients thrive beyond blood cancer. We also continue to expand our commitment to health equity and outreach efforts to medically underserved communities. Finally, we are thrilled about our Dare to Dream Project that is focused on transforming treatment and care for kids with blood cancer, including the first-ever pediatric acute leukemia LLS PedAL Master Clinical Trial happening in collaboration with partners across the world.

What else would you like people to know about your charity?

If you or someone you love has been impacted by blood cancer, YOU ARE NOT ALONE! Contact LLS to find a lifelong community of support: 1-800-955-4572. Our oncology social workers and nurses in our Information Resource Center will talk with you and share LLS (and other local) resources and programs that can support you throughout your cancer experience and beyond.

What are your organization's social media pages or handles?

Facebook: Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Long Island

Instagram: @llslongisland