Eleven men and women in Central Arkansas are vying for the titles of Man and Woman of the Year, but the competition is friendly and the real winners are those helped by the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS).
The contestants are charged with raising money for the society. Each dollar counts as one vote and the candidate who raises the most votes (money) gains the title. Money raised helps in finding cures and accessing treatment for blood cancer patients.
For the second year, Carla and Dr. Peter Emanuel are chairing the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society fundraiser.
"There are dozens and dozens of different kinds of blood cancers," says Peter, hematologist oncologist with CHI St. Vincent. He explains that despite the name, "the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society focuses on all kinds of different blood diseases."
The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society is a national organization and money raised is invested in research and patient support.
According to LLS, the society has invested almost $1.3 billion in blood cancer research and it has helped advance 55 of the 65 blood cancer treatment options approved by the FDA since 2017. This research has also lead to treatment advances for other cancers and diseases.
Patient support of blood cancer patients includes a variety of things, says Carla, including helping patients get to the doctor, helping with co-pays and paying for gas cards and hotels.
Last year 670 Arkansas patients and caregivers received assistance from the society. That includes more than $967,000 in co-pay assistance, $137,000 in travel assistance, $47,000 in covid-19 funding and just over $39,000 spent for patient aid and urgent needs.
"When you get diagnosed with cancer it's not just one week, one night, you're talking months of treatments sometimes. It's costly. So we try to help with those expenses," Carla says.
And the pandemic hasn't helped. "Even though things have shut down because of covid, our patient load has doubled," she says, explaining that blood clots are one of the problems of covid 19. "And cancer doesn't go away just because covid is here. So LLC has stepped up with their donations and helping patients and so we've had to try to double our fundraising efforts."
The announcement of Man and Woman of the Year will be made on May 16, and like many events in the time of covid, it will be virtual.
"It used to be live and really fun," Carla says. "Everyone would dress up. And we'd have entertainment and a sit-down dinner. And, of course, going virtual has been very challenging."
Last year's live event was canceled and they quickly had to figure out how to do a virtual event. "We still raised $300,000 last year, approximately, and we want to do better this year."
So the couple stepped up again and began early. "We're doing way better this year. We've already met that goal from last year," she says.
While there are sponsors, the main fundraising is through the candidates, Peter says. The goal is $576,000.
"They all have a connection to leukemia or lymphoma one way or another," he says. Some might be survivors or caregivers, researchers, doctors or nurses.
"But we don't ever turn anyone down who wants to be a candidate," Carla says. "They just need to have a desire to raise money and help us."
This year's candidates are Darla Desiderio, Dr. Chad Rodgers, Dr. David Douglass, Donna Malone, Lori Reynolds, Courtney Probst, Dr. Carolina Schinke, Keith Jacks, Laura Phillips, Dr. Samantha Kendrick and Logan Duvall.
The candidates have various ways of raising money, from asking for donations to hosting their own fundraisers.
While there is no big party this year to announce the winners, the Emanuels and the candidates will host watch parties with small groups of people outdoors. The group will gather on Zoom for the evening, which will include the announcement of Man and Woman of the Year. "We'll try to make it as festive as we can," Carla says. "Even though it's just a watch party.
"The upside to not having a live event," she adds, is not having to pay for linens and centerpieces and entertainment. "So it's really going to add to our bottom line on that."
To find out more about the candidates and vote for a favorite, visit mwoy.org/mwoy-candidates/1921.
