Blood Cancer United - Northern California

10/13/2026

✨Excited to announce Golden Gate’s 2027 Student Visionaries of the Year Candidate, Sophia Dugdale! Sophia is excited to begin her Blood Cancer United journey as this is her first year participating.👏

Sophia is ready to take on 2027 with passion and dedication. In her spare time, she enjoys playing soccer, which fuels her drive to work together as a team for a shared goal. ⚽️

By fundraising with Blood Cancer United , Sophia and her team are helping to advance research, support patients and their families, and advocate for those affected by blood cancer.🩸

We can’t wait to see the amazing impact she is going to have in the 2027 campaign. Join us in cheering her on in the comments below! 💫

10/08/2026

✨Thrilled to announce Golden Gate’s 2027 Student Visionaries of the Year Candidates, Rose Holl and Susie Lackie! Rose and Susie are both excited to begin their Blood Cancer United journey for their first year.👏

Rose is ready to bring it all to the 2027 campaign year. In her spare time, she enjoys going to the beach and spending time with her friends. Susie is prepared to take on this campaign with passion and heart. When she can, she enjoys travelling the globe!❤️

By fundraising with Blood Cancer United , Susie, Rose, and their team are helping to advance research, support patients and their families, and advocate for those affected by blood cancer.🩸

We can’t wait to see their incredible impact they are going to have in the 2027 campaign. Join us in celebrating them in the comments below! 💫

10/08/2026

In the final days leading up to Light The Night East Bay, I'd like to take a moment to highlight our local Honored Hero, Josie. ❤️

Josie's smile can light up any room! Throughout her cancer journey, her remarkable joy and strength continued to shine--reminding all of us why we come together to bring light to the darkness of cancer.

We want to extend a special thank you to Stanford Medicine Children's Health, , for providing incredible treatment and care to Josie and her family.

This Saturday, we will have the privilege of hearing Josie share her story at Light The Night. I hope you will join us as we celebrate survivors, honor those we have lost, and stand together in support of everyone affected by blood cancer. ❤️ 💛 🤍

📅 Saturday, October 10th
📍 Civic Park, Walnut Creek
🕠 5:30-8:30pm

Let's light the night for Josie, and for every family impacted by blood cancer! ✨

10/07/2026

We are so excited to welcome Silicon Valley’s 2027 Student Visionaries of the Year Candidate, Soliana Fisseha!

Soliana is prepared to bring everything she has to this campaign year. After high school, she plans to attend college and pursue a major in STEM. In her spare time, she participates in all things music! She is an active member in her campus concert choir as well as her church’s choir!🎵🎤

By fundraising with Blood Cancer United , Soliana and her team are helping to support patients and families, advance research, and advocate for those affected by blood cancer.🩸

We can’t wait to see the profound impact she is going to have in this year’s campaign. Join us in celebrating her commitment to our mission in the comments below!❤️

10/06/2026

Meet Ralph, our Honored Hero. 💙 His story inspires every step we take with Blood Cancer United Big Climb.
 
After a harrowing 20 years of hospital visits, biopsies, and labs, Ralph received a diagnosis of Polycythemia Vera, a chronic blood cancer that requires taking a low dose of chemo for the rest of his life. While this diagnosis was difficult, Ralph was relieved to be given a path forward. He's returned to the things he loves: hiking and distance race events. 
 
✨Be part of the movement: register today, commit to the $150 fundraising minimum, and you're off!
 
Join us in honoring Ralph and others impacted by blood cancer. 
 
🔗Link in bio to join or donate.

10/02/2026

Big news! Let’s give a warm welcome to Golden Gate’s 2027 Student Visionaries of the Year Candidate, Maxine Farimani! 👏

Maxine is prepared to take on 2027 with persistence and dedication. Passionate to make a difference, she is part of the counseling and mentor team at her school. In her spare time, she loves to play volleyball and participate in martial arts! 🙌

By fundraising with Blood Cancer United , Maxine and her team are helping to advance research, support patients and their families, and advocate for those affected by blood cancer. 🩸

So excited to see the amazing impact she is going to have in this year’s campaign. Join us in cheering her on in the comments! 🫶🏻

10/01/2026

Blood Cancer United Big Climb is back in San Francisco!👟

Step up with us to take blood cancer down, one climb at a time.

💪 Climb in honor of someone you love—or for everyone impacted.

✨ Register today! Link in bio.

09/30/2026

As September comes to a close, we’re honored to share a glimpse into one young survivor’s journey through his Beads of Courage. 💛
 
Each one of Kane’s beads represents moments in his pediatric treatment experience, from procedures and clinic visits to milestones worth celebrating. Strung together, they tell a story of resilience, courage, and hope in the face of childhood cancer.🙏
 
As we wrap up Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, we invite our community to learn from and celebrate the incredible strength of children and families navigating a diagnosis. Their stories remind us why our mission matters every day.💫

09/29/2026

Every diagnosis has a story. Every family deserves hope. 💛❤️

As we recognize Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and Blood Cancer Awareness Month, our Student Visionaries candidates are coming together to shine a light on the importance of awareness, advocacy, and support for those impacted by cancer.
 
Thank you to these inspiring student leaders for using their voices this month. We’re proud to work alongside the next generation of changemakers who are proving that age is no barrier to making a difference.
 
Join us in honoring every child, survivor, family member, and loved one impacted by cancer. Together, we’re building a future with more breakthroughs, more resources, and more support.

09/26/2026

Valvoline and Blood Cancer United are Driving for a Dream with a special livery on William Byron’s No. 24 for the upcoming race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Designed by Palmer, a 12-year-old blood cancer hero and artist, the colorful beach themed livery represents joy, strength, and resilience.

Take a look at the behind-the-scenes design process of how Emily Butler Lue and Harris Lue of LUE Creative brought Palmer’s vision to life.

09/25/2026

The 2027 Big Climb San Francisco wouldn't the same without leaders like Pete Garcia 💙

Pete is an accomplished Chief Financial Officer with more than 30 years of leadership in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. He inspires our community through his unwavering commitment to the mission, his willingness to lead by example, and his ability to bring people together in support of patients and families impacted by blood cancers.

Pete stepped up to chair Big Climb San Francisco to honor of his wife, Kim, who was diagnosed with the rare blood cancer myelofibrosis — and to continue to inspire every climb with Blood Cancer United

✨Join us at the 2027 San Francisco Big Climb👟
🔗 Link in bio to register.

09/25/2026

Be Kind to Your Mind 🧘‍♂️🧘‍♀️

Patients, survivors, and caregivers can order a Be Kind to Your Mind wellness box, created with mental well-being in mind. We’re also featured in the September Elephants and Tea September Issue, sharing stories and resources from the blood cancer community.

Check it out and order your box today!
https://bit.ly/4Axg81j

09/25/2026

09/25/2026

"Over 65 years of life, I’ve walked through many difficult seasons, and what I know for certain is this: in every single one, God has been with me, and He has seen me through. But when I got married in February 2023, life felt full again, full of joy, full of plans, full of promise. At my niece’s wedding, while line dancing, I felt a sudden 'pop' in my rib. I never imagined that moment would lead to a diagnosis of multiple myeloma (MM), just three months after marrying my sweet husband, Ray.

I had been enjoying retirement after working since I was 14. I survived shingles in 2020 and an emergency appendectomy that same year. I had been savoring time with my five beautiful grandchildren. Then came 2023, a year I expected to spend traveling and building new memories with the love of my life. Instead, pain, muscle spasms, compression fractures, and rib fractures brought everything to a halt.

Looking back, I realized I had been tired and hurting for a long time but had pushed through it, as I always do. My pain tolerance is high, but this was beyond anything I’d ever known. I thought nothing could hurt worse than labor... then shingles came. And then cancer said, ‘Let me show you what pain really is.’

A stem cell transplant on December 29, 2023.

In June 2024, I got the call: I am MRD-negative and still MRD-negative over a year later. God is great! They may say myeloma is incurable, but I know this: nothing is too hard for God. If He did it before, He can do it again.”

For Dawn, "more" meant more time with her new husband, Ray. Just three months after they were married, she was diagnosed with multiple myeloma. Instead of the travel and adventures they had planned, they faced a blood cancer diagnosis together.

Today, Dawn is MRD-negative and continuing to make memories with her family, her grandchildren, and the life she fought so hard to keep living.

September is Blood Cancer Awareness Month, and we are working toward a future filled with more. Help us raise more awareness and work toward a future where everyone affected by blood cancer has more time to love, more time to dream, and more time to write the next chapter of their story.

We're working toward more time, more hope, and more tomorrows. Learn more about our resources: https://bcutd.org/3Ufxqzz

09/25/2026

More and more support, guidance, and peace of mind.​

​This Blood Cancer Awareness Month, we want every patient and family to know about a free resource that does not get talked about enough. ​

​Open enrollment is coming, and finding the right health insurance plan for your specific needs may lower your out-of-pocket costs. Our Medical Debt Case Managers provide personalized, one-on-one health insurance evaluations to help prevent future medical debt.​

​Because more and more awareness can lead to more and more action.

Preventing medical debt starts with getting on the right insurance plan. Contact us to learn more 👇
https://bcutd.org/3TLuwT8

09/24/2026

Meet Omar Abdel-Wahab, MD, of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

A recent National Academy of Medicine electee Abdel-Wahab’s project studies a mutation in the SRSF2 gene. It shows up in 25% of people with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), 50% of people with chronic myelomonocytic leukemia, and 25% of people with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) over age 65. Understanding what's happening at the molecular level with genes like SRSF2 could mean one new drug works across all of these types of blood cancer.

“Finding funding for this project at this early step can be challenging, but will be critical in bringing this treatment closer to patients," says Abdel-Wahab.

This project is part of the more than 250 academic research projects supported through Blood Cancer United's multi-year grants portfolio, all aimed at getting closer to better treatment options.

Learn more ⤵️
https://bcutd.org/3TTQzqR

09/24/2026

Blood Cancer United and the Hairy Cell Leukemia Foundation have announced six new research grants as part of their extended HCL2030 partnership. Nearly $7 million will be invested over the next five years in research focused on better understanding what drives hairy cell leukemia and finding better therapies for patients, particularly those with variant disease or relapsed classic hairy cell leukemia.

This , learn more and read the full announcement ⤵️
https://bcutd.org/4hndl1X

09/23/2026

Our Therapy Acceleration Program (TAP) partners work directly with innovative biotech companies to move the most promising blood cancer research from the lab into clinical trials, faster. TAP looks to change the standard of care while addressing high unmet medical needs.

Royalty Pharma's commitment to TAP is helping power that progress. With this gift of $7.5M, it marks the largest corporate donor donation that our TAP program has received.

Together, that means more treatments and more time for every patient.

Learn more about this impact on TAP ⬇️
https://bcutd.org/4yIm6ee

09/23/2026

Pass it along. 💌

If this is your family right now, you are not alone. The Dare to Dream Project is here for every family navigating a pediatric blood cancer with free resources and personalized support every step of the way. Learn more ⤵️
https://bcutd.org/4yWfnxr

09/22/2026

Your brain called. It wants a checklist. 🧠☎️

If your mental checklist is running overtime, you're not alone. As a young adult with blood cancer, there can be a lot to carry—appointments, treatment, relationships, work, and everything in between. It's okay to prioritize your mental health, ask for support, and take things one step at a time. Find free mental health resources for young adults here👇
https://bcutd.org/3TmqQXL