How the money helps

Please ask your sponsors to be generous when they donate to Light the Night.

Blood cancers and related blood disorders can develop in anyone, of any age, at any time.  Around 11,500 Australians are expected to be newly diagnosed this year —equivalent to 31 people each day. With few clearly identified risk factors and sometimes no real warning, the impact is immense. In acute cases, the person can require immediate treatment within 24 hours of diagnosis. For those living in regional areas, it means relocating to the city, adding to the emotional turmoil. Families can suddenly find themselves in crippling financial circumstances, particularly if the person or their carer is also the major breadwinner.

The Leukaemia Foundation is the only national not for profit organisation dedicated to the care and cure of people with leukaemias, lymphomas, myeloma and related blood disorders. The money you raise will fund blood cancer research and free services to help patients and their families to face the everyday challenges from the moment of diagnosis.

Vision to Cure - Funding Vital Research

The Leukaemia Foundation has invested more than $20 million in the most promising research to improve treatments and find cures since 2005 alone. In 2011 we are funding 59 projects like these:

• Childhood Leukaemia – We are funding scientists at the Rotary Bone Marrow Research Laboratories who with support from The Royal Melbourne Hospital and University of Melbourne, have discovered cells that cause T-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia. Effectively targeting these cells could improve quality of life for children by reducing the length and side-effects of chemotherapy, and help to prevent relapse.
• Advanced Hodgkin Lymphoma – We have partnered with Cancer Australia to fund a national clinical trial to test a new scanning technique for people with newly diagnosed, advanced stage Hodgkin lymphoma. It is hoped that it could identify people who can safely avoid very intensive initial treatment, meaning fewer side-effects and better quality of life.
• Leukaemia, lymphoma and myeloma – Stem cell transplants are a potential cure for leukaemia and lymphoma and help people with myeloma to achieve remission. But after transplant, a lack of immune cells puts them at high risk of serious illness or death from viruses like the common cold. Researchers at the Westmead Millenium Institute are exploring use of donor immune cells to fight viral infections in transplant recipients.

Mission to Care – Free support for those who need it most

Thousands of Australians turn to the Leukaemia Foundation each year for help with their everyday challenges. In the 2009-10 financial year, our free services included:

• Providing over 1,000 regional families required to relocate for treatment, a place to call home.
• Transporting over 5,000 people to and from treatment, keeping them safe when they’re at their most vulnerable emotionally and physically.
• Educating around 7,000 patients and carers about how to live with blood cancer or a related blood disorder
• Providing personalised emotional support and information to over 13,000 people in more than 90,000 face to face conversations and phone calls

Importantly, all of our services are provided absolutely free of charge.

To make a donation or sponsor someone click here