Hi there - my name is Maddie Dyer and I work on the US Government Relations team at Visa. A lot of you are probably wondering what on Earth that means...feel free to reach out if you want to know. 🙂 For now, I would love to talk about a cause that is very near and dear to my heart - the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
My cousin Cory was six years old when he was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) - the most common form of pediatric blood cancer. He received a spinal tap treatment with a drug called methotextrate that left him with a rare side effect: paralysis. He immediately had to stop his chemotherapy. The doctors never thought he'd live, let alone walk again.
But by the time Cory was eleven, he had not only regained mobility. He also achieved remission. Cory's doctors, nurses, and family, including me, were all absolutely stunned and inspired by his strength. Cory went on to enjoy a healthy, happy life until he was twenty-one, when he was hit by a woman who was driving distractedly in Virginia Beach, where he was living at the time. She had turned the wrong way onto a one-way street, and was charged a mere $150 ticket, which she complained in court was "unfair." My aunt and uncle, meanwhile, were over $20,000 in debt from the cancer treatments that had saved their son's life - which was ultimatelty cut far too short by a completely avoidable tragedy.
Since Cory's passing, I have met more and more people with a cancer connection and realized just how widespread this disease is, and the devastating impact it has. When I moved to San Francisco for my current role at Visa, I met a young woman and someone I now consider dear friend who works for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS). Once I heard about their mission to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families, I knew I had to get involved.
They did too, apparently! My friend recruited me to run for Woman of the Year, which essentially means I am trying to raise as much money as possible within a ten-week period for the organization. My goal is $100,000, which would fund two portfolios of cutting-edge LLS research, which I intend to devote to ALL, Cory's diagnosis. My team has decided to call ourselves Cory's Angels in his honor. Our campaign kicks off on March 20th and runs through June 1st.
LLS has opened my eyes to the devastating impact blood cancer - all forms of cancer, truly - can have on people's lives. We all know someone who has battled it, and hopefully won, but perhaps lost. It's important for all of us to remember that one of our co-workers may have been diagnosed, or one of their loved ones. As we celebrate International Women’s Month, I hope we commemorate women at our company who are fighting this disease, be it their own or someone else they care about.
This International Women’s Day, I want to honor those women. As we all seek to #balanceforbetter, I think it is important to remember that everyone has a story – one which may include a chapter of cancer, or perhaps multiple. We need to support each other. Not only can we be good colleagues, but champions. If we do that – if we stand each other up, during good times and bad – then I truly believe the workplace will be better for it.
Thank you for reading this, and please feel free to reach out to me at madyer@visa.com if you have any questions about LLS or my campaign. I so appreciate the support. Happy Women’s Month!
