Ryan Kelly
Rad Ryan’s Reinforcements, a 2010 Light The Night® Walk team for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Orange County/Inland Empire Chapter (LLS), has drawn 45 members and raised nearly $3,500 to date for blood cancer research. The team is composed of many local residents and is walking in honor of Ryan Kelly, an 8-year-old Laguna Niguel boy undergoing treatment for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL). This is the second year the team has walked.
“When our neighbors learned about Ryan’s disease, they wanted to do something to help,” recalled Renee Petro of Mission Viejo, the team’s co-captain. “Walking in Light the Night gives them the opportunity to help fund life-saving drugs that can help those, like Ryan, who are battling blood cancers.”
Light The Night will be held on Sunday, September 19, 4 p.m. at Angel Stadium. A second Walk for Inland Empire residents will be held Saturday, October 16, at California Baptist University in Riverside. Participants seek pledges for the Walk that will support critical programs for cancer patients and research towards a cure.
Ryan was diagnosed last summer, and was hospitalized and unable to participate in the 2009 walk. This year, Ryan is doing better and will participate. Christina Kelly, Ryan’s mother and the other team co-captain and Laguna Niguel resident, noted, “We’re looking forward to getting out there with Ryan this year.”
To support Rad Ryan’s Reinforcements, visit http://pages.lightthenight.org/ocie/OrangeCo10/RadRyansReinforcements.
Light The Night is LLS’s annual evening fundraising walk held each fall in communities throughout the United States and Canada to raise money for blood cancer research and patient services. Teams of co-workers, families and friends walk together in twilight holding illuminated balloons – white for patients and survivors, red for supporters, and a single gold balloon that represents a loved one lost to cancer. The Walk, which honors and commemorates lives touched by blood cancer, is a community celebration, with music and family activities.
Every walker is encouraged to fundraise. Walkers who raise $100 or more earn the distinction of being a “Champion For Cures” and receive their illuminated balloon, official t-shirt and refreshments at the Walk.
For additional information about the Light The Night Walk, including a message from celebrity spokesperson Tina Fey, please visit www.lightthenight.org/ocie or contact Grace Hinojoza at the Orange County/Inland Empire Chapter at Grace.Hinojoza@lls.org or 714.481.5608.
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) is the world’s largest voluntary health organization dedicated to funding blood cancer research, education and patient services. The mission of LLS is to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families. Since its founding in 1949, LLS has invested nearly $700 million for research specifically targeting blood cancers. The Orange County/Inland Empire office is located at 765 The City Drive, Suite 260, Orange, CA 92868. Phone: (714) 481-5600. Website: www.lls.org/ocie.
