I don’t dawdle. Just days after my friend nominated me for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's 2014 Man of the Year for the National Capital Area Chapter, I accepted. The 10-week campaign will run from April 3 through June 14, 2014. The man (and woman) who generates the most funding for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society will be crowned champion of the galaxy.

I also don’t make decisions blindly. The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, founded in 1949, is the world's largest voluntary health organization dedicated to blood cancer. In 2012 it invested $68 million in research. Charity Navigator rates it 3/4 stars overall and 4/4 in accountability and transparency.

By the Grand Finale Gala on June 14, I will be 11 years cancer-free from my second cancer, which was (shocker) a cancer of the blood. Therefore, my goal is to raise $10,000 for each cancer-free year, totaling $110,000!

I will need help. Although donations to help save the lives of people like me are the primary support, I’ll also need:

• Friendly conversation;
• Motivation;
• Candy for sustenance;
• Coke Zero for elation; and
• Most importantly, help reaching other communities for more donations to help save lives.

I’m looking for campaign team members—you won’t have to invest any money or too much time. Let me know if you would like to be part of this epic adventure!

Sincerely, your friend and hopefully future Milky Way champion,
Ben