When Richard Sinclair was diagnosed with leukemia, he started taking Gleevec, a drug developed by researchers funded by the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. It was successful, he is in remission now, and his family is grateful. “Not all families are as lucky as ours,” said his daughter, Mandy Sinclair Nitschke.
Her father’s illness inspired Nitschke to help fight the disease. She signed up for Toledo’s first Man & Woman of the Year Campaign for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society in the spring of 2013. She contacted everyone she knew, and in just 10 weeks, raised $15,000.
The image of her face, anointed “Woman of the Year,” was placed on a billboard overlooking Monroe Street. She was celebrated at the campaign’s grand finale, where she looked into the crowd and saw her parents and friends, and thanked everyone who helped her fundraise. Nitschke now works for LLS as Toledo’s campaign manager, and she plans to make the 2015 campaign the most successful yet.
A fast race
The Man and Woman of the Year Campaign is a sprint—nominees commit themselves to raise as much money as they can in just 10 short weeks. This year’s campaign runs from March 26 through June 5. “This is their chance to pull out all the stops,” said Lindsay Silverstein, executive director of LLS’s Northern Ohio Chapter. The Chapter works to help run support groups for patients and their families, provide connections to medical treatment for people after they are diagnosed, and fund research that finds treatment for many different forms of cancer.
This year’s candidates are diverse. They are eight men and women who work in education, law, health care, radio, and business. Each candidate was selected by the nominating committee for having a strong involvement in Northwest Ohio.
“I like a challenge,” said Katie Rofkar, one of this year’s candidates. Rofkar, president of Kennedy Printing, was motivated to take part this year after learning how much of the campaign money directly impacts the local community. “You never know who will be affected by this,” said Rofkar.
A real impact
Last year’s campaign raised over $112,000 for blood cancer research and patient support. Leading the way was last year’s Man of the Year, John Smythe, who raised over $35,000. His father passed away from leukemia. Smythe believes that if his father was diagnosed today, new treatments would give him a much better chance to fight the disease. He has met with researchers who have told him that without LLS fundraising, cancer researchers could not afford to search for a cure.
This year’s Man and Woman of the Year campaign will ensure that research does not stop. “Toledo is a great community,” said Smythe. “If you ask enough people to help with a good cause, they will support you.”
