I have been given the opportunity of a lifetime to help more than 1.6 million Americans who are living with blood cancer.  

Each year, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) launches its “Visionaries of the Year” fundraising campaign, and this year I was honored to be nominated as a candidate. I am writing today to ask for your support of LLS’s mission to find cures for blood cancers and to assist patients and families as they battle this deadly disease. 

From March 20th to May 30th, 2025, our team is fighting to raise $70,000 in a one-time campaign, all of which will go directly to LLS in support of its longstanding goal: a world without blood cancers. I am fighting to end blood cancer in honor of kids like Evan.

Evan was diagnosed with B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia at age 4. And after the first 30 days of treatment, unfortunately there was still detectable leukemia in Evan’s bone marrow, and he had a change in his course of treatment. He was selected for a clinical trial where he received continuous infusion of this immunotherapy through a backpack for 28 days. After 1 year and 1 month of frontline treatment, Evan was placed in maintenance and got back to school and was thriving! Evan celebrated the end of his treatment with LLS, ringing the bell August 23rd, 2024.  

LLS provided more than $158 million in co-pay assistance to blood cancer patients like Evan and their families. Imagine facing what Evan’s family went through without support. LLS is here to make sure they aren’t alone, and I am fighting for all the families who will need that support in the future! Will you help me make an impact?  

Thank you for your support and if you have any questions at all, please reach out to me at michael.f.gunther@gmail.com or 805-801-5430. 

Very best wishes,  
Mike Gunther 

Visionaries of the Year Candidates