West Hollywood resident Jonathan Gabay has been named “Man of the Year” by the California Southland Chapter of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society for raising $255,241 for the charity.
Gabay, who serves as vice president of comedy development and programming at Fox, Jonathan became involved with LLS after his childhood friend, Adam, was diagnosed with cancer. According to an announcement from LLS, “The cause was made even more personal when Adam passed away just as the campaign was starting. “
Caitlin Fitzgerald took top honors as “Woman of the Year” for her campaign, “Cross My Heart & Hope To Live,” which raised $220,832.71. Fitzgerald, who is involved in a variety of philanthropic endeavors, accepted her nomination as a candidate with the hopes of inspiring others to believe in themselves.
Runners up included Michael Milberg of Team 828 and Timi Hallem with Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP.
LLS’s Man & Woman of the Year campaign is a fundraising competition among a select group of nominated individuals in the community. Candidates, along with their teams, have 10 weeks to accumulate the most “votes.” Every dollar raised counts as one vote. This year the 24 candidates raised a total of $1,445,401 to help find cancer cures.
Each person participates in honor of the “Boy & Girl of the Year, “who are local blood cancer patient survivors. The Boy and Girl of the Year represent the thousands of patients who have been helped by LLS’s patient services and research.
The 2017 Boy Of The Year was 4-year old Aiden Kramer, who was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia two years ago and currently has no sign of the disease. The 2017 Girl of the Year was 5-year old Karina Lopez, who was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia at age 3 and is undergoing treatment.
LLS is exploring new paths to cures and treatments, with almost 300 cutting-edge research projects underway, many in the promising new areas of immunotherapy and personalized medicine. In addition to finding blood cancer cures, many of the treatments LLS has helped fund are now helping patients with other cancers and chronic diseases.
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society is the world’s largest voluntary health agency dedicated to blood cancer. Its mission is to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families. LLS funds lifesaving blood cancer research around the world, provides free information and support services, and is the voice for all blood cancer patients seeking access to quality, affordable, coordinated care.
The California Southland Chapter, headquartered in Los Angeles, serves patients with a variety of programs including the Patti Robinson Kaufmann First Connection Program, the Trish Greene Back to School Program for Children with Cancer and the LLS Co-Pay Assistance Program which last year provided $650,000 to patients in the chapter area. Currently, the California Southland Chapter is funding $8.6 million in research grants at seven local institutions.
Fantastic! Thanks for your incredible effort!