Welcome to the TNT Answer Center!
Congratulations on signing up for the journey of a lifetime! As a volunteer for the Greater San Francisco Bay Area chapter of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team In Training, you're helping thousands of people living with blood cancers. This site should contain all the resources you need to reach your fundraising and athletic goals. If you're stuck finding something or if you have questions or ideas, please email the site author.
Our Mission
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's mission: Cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families. LLS has dedicated itself to being one of the top-rated voluntary health agencies in terms of dollars that directly fund our mission.
What are blood cancers?
Leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma are cancers that originate in the bone marrow and lymphatic tissues. Cancers have two features in common: cells that are abnormal because of altered DNA and cells that accumulate in excessive amounts.
Leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma are considered to be related cancers because they involve the uncontrolled growth of cells with related functions and origins. The diseases result from an acquired genetic injury to the DNA of a single cell, which becomes abnormal (malignant) and multiplies continuously. The accumulation of malignant cells interferes with the body’s production of healthy blood cells and makes the body unable to protect itself against infection.
For more information about blood cancers, visit www.lls.org.
New cases, survival and deaths
- An estimated 139,860 people in the United States will be diagnosed with leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma this year.
- New cases of leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma account for 9.5% of the 1,479,350 new cancer cases diagnosed in the United States this year.
- Every four minutes one person is diagnosed with a blood cancer.
- An estimated 912,938 Americans are living with leukemia, Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and myeloma and myelodysplastic syndromes.
- Leukemia, lymphoma or myeloma will cause the deaths of an estimated 53,240 persons in the United States this year.
- Every 10 minutes, someone dies from a blood cancer. That’s 146 people each day, or more than six people every hour.
- Blood cancers will account for 9.5 percent of deaths from cancer each year, based on the total of 562,340 cancer-related deaths.
We're making a difference!
- The overall five-year survival rate for children under five years old with acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) was 3% in 1964 -- today it’s 89%! The five-year survival rate for leukemia has more than tripled in the past 46 years, from 14% in 1960 to 54% in the 1999-2005 timeframe. Statistics have shown a modest improvement in the five-year survival rates of patients with myeloma -- up from 12% in 1960 to 37.1% today.
- Hodgkin lymphoma is now considered to be one of the most curable forms of cancer. The five-year survival rate for a person diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma has doubled from 40% in 1960 to 86% today. In children ages 0 to 14, the five-year survival rate for Hodgkin lymphoma is 95.4%.
- In children from 0 to 19 years, five-year survival for non-Hodgkin lymphoma is now 84.4%. This represents a significant improvement: even in the mid-1970s, most children with NHL did not live five years after diagnosis.
A directory of Patient Services
- The Patient Financial Aid Program provides unrestricted grants to all blood cancer patients, while the Co-Pay Assistance Program provides up to $5,000 per year for medicine, depending on diagnosis and income. Call (877) 557-2672 or learn more about Co-Pay Assistance online.
- Facilitated by volunteer nurses and social workers, Family Support Groups meet monthly throughout the Bay Area. All patients, family members and friends affected by blood cancers are invited to come together to share experiences and ask questions. Through First Connection, patients and caregivers can speak one-on-one with trained volunteer survivors who share their knowledge and experience. Call your local chapter office at (415) 581-1164 or (408) 490-2663 to find a support group near you or speak with a First Connection volunteer.
- Health professionals who work at the Information Resource Center provide accurate, up-to-date information on blood cancers via the phone and online. Call (800) 955-4572 or chat online and download materials.
- In the Bay Area, LLS hosts free public education seminars featuring prominent researchers and health officials. Call your local chapter office at (415) 581-1164 or (408) 490-2663 to learn about upcoming events.
- Public Policy advocates contact their elected representatives to promote government research funding and improvements in public health policy. Become an advocate today.
- Welcome Back: Facilitating the School Experience for Childhood Cancer Survivors educates school personnel and parents to improve the transition of childhood cancer survivors from clinic to classroom.
- Project Share Life is a community collaboration to
increase the number and ethnic diversity of potential donors in the
National Marrow Donor Program registry, a search program for
patients in need of a live-saving marrow transplant. Come to
Cause for Celebration for an opportunity to join the registry! See
"Important Dates and Deadlines" in your Kickoff packet.
Wish List
We'd be grateful if you or someone you know could donate any of the following. Please let us know!
- A/V cart
- LCD Projector
- Portable speaker
- Speaker monitor for public address system
- First-aid kits and supplies for our trainings
- White and color paper or cardstock for copying and printing
- Wine, beer and soft drinks for team socials
- Pens and permanent markers
- Free or discounted food, catering or a barbeque grill for team socials
- Gift cards to grocery stores, gas stations, coffee shops, department stores, etc., to defray costs and thank our volunteers
