CHAMPIONS FOR A CURE: Racing against time to raise funds

NORWOOD, NEW JERSEY —— The clock is ticking.

It’s ticking for Lexi Arnold, who is racing against time to raise funds for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, in a match against 13 other students in New Jersey selected to participate in a fundraising and leadership development competition.

It’s also ticking because every three minutes one person in the United States is diagnosed with a blood cancer and about every nine minutes, someone dies from a blood cancer.

In 2017, about 173,000 people were newly diagnosed with leukemia, lymphoma or myeloma, according to Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Last year, approximately 58,000 people died from such blood cancers.

“One of the biggest things that got me into this was my cousin, Sammie, who was diagnosed with epilepsy at 10 or 11. That showed me how much people struggle. I don’t want people to have to go through what my family went through,” said Lexi Arnold, reached via phone on Feb. 8.

“I’ve always been into community service and giving back and thought this would be a great opportunity to help,” Arnold said.

Arnold, of Norwood, a 17-year-old junior at Northern Valley Regional High School in Old Tappan, is a candidate in the cancer society’s Student of the Year campaign, a seven-week fundraising competition that began Jan. 17 and ends March 9 at the Grande Finale Celebration held in Iselin.

The candidate who raises the most funds earns designation as “Student of the Year” by the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and a partial college scholarship.

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