Thank You to Everyone Who Supported Bethany in her Quest to be LLS Woman of the Year

I found out on Friday night who won the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Man and Woman of the Year Campaign, but it took me a couple of days to write this blog post because I'm having such a hard time putting into words just how thankful I am for all of the support and generosity of so many people.

I have good news, and bad news...

The bad news -

I am not the 2016 LLS Woman of the Year.  But, really it's not that bad.  I'll explain...

The good news -

With the help of 'GNA Nation, I was able to raise $40,000 to help fight blood cancers!  I mean, that's a lot of money!  When you're raising money to fight cancer, any dollar that gets donated could save a life!

More good news -

Kelsey Carr, an engineer from the Chazen Companies won the competition with an astonishing $100,000 -- which is amazing to me!  I'm so stunned by her dedication to this cause!

Even more good news -

Rick Ostroff of Ostroff Associates won the Man of the Year title with a staggering $162,000!  Can you even imagine?  He is a childhood cancer survivor, so he knows first-hand how life altering the disease can be, and clearly he's a fighter!

Yes, even more great news -

Together with my LLS Man and Woman of the Year candidates, we collectively raised more than $612,000.00 -- a new record!

That's a lot of research money!  And, what I think it even more cool, is that all of that money was raised here in the Capital Region by local professionals with big hearts who organized their time, talents, and resources to do something good!

I'm so proud to have been a part of this amazing cause!

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

I want to thank so many people for their help on this mission!

First thanks to Kendra and Lucas, the Girl and Boy of the Year!  They were my inspiration for this campaign!  I wish them (and their families) all of the happiness and health in the world!  They are true fighters and just delightful people!

Thanks to AJ Bodden for talking me into doing this fundraiser!  I'm so glad to have been a part of it!

Thanks to Susanne Keller and the rest of the staff of our local LLS office - they are truly top notch people who dedicate their lives to finding a cure for cancer!  That's such a noble way to spend a day at the office!

Thanks to my husband for all of the support and photoshopping skills!

Thanks to Nick Kessler, Matty Jeff and Sean McMaster!  Without this trio of amazing men who I have the pleasure of working with everyday, I literally could not have pulled any of this off!  They are amazing!

And thanks to every single person who donated even a penny!  Thanks to everyone who came to my events, threw a $20 in a box, wrote me a check, or donated online!  When we finally cure cancer, you can be proud that you were a part of it!

If you want to find out more about the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's mission to cure blood cancers and support the patients and families of those suffering, CLICK HERE.

To get involved in next year's campaign, CLICK HERE!  Good Luck!