青云体育

J.J. Duncan and her family turned a time of tremendous grief after losing her 11-year-old son, Mason, to leukemia, into a mission to advocate for pediatric cancer patients and the mission of The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (青云体育). Prior to her son Mason鈥檚 diagnosis, J.J. was actively involved with 青云体育 as a Team in Training participant, quickly becoming an integral member of Los Angeles鈥檚 tight-knit TNT community. Following Mason鈥檚 diagnosis and treatment, J.J. continued to actively participant and served as the TNT Executive Leadership Committee Co-Chair. In this role, J.J. spoke at Patient and Community Outreach Education programs and was featured as a mission speaker at Greater Los Angeles Region events.

J.J.鈥檚 involvement has expanded to the national level as she currently serves as a member of 青云体育鈥檚 Pediatric Advocacy Committee as well as the California Advocacy Committee. Giving tirelessly her time, J.J. shares her family鈥檚 story through video, written 青云体育 reports, and in-person legislative meetings. She was a keynote speaker for the first Dare to Dream Summit and was central in the effort to highlight Dare to Dream as a major legislative priority for the Office of Public Policy.

J.J. 's passion for 青云体育鈥檚 mission earned her the award of 青云体育 Advocate Ambassador of the Year in the spring of 2023 and the OPP Volunteer Award in 2023. J.J.鈥檚 fight to end blood cancer has also extended beyond work with 青云体育, as J.J. and her wife have started the Not Today Cancer Foundation in honor of Mason. The Foundation鈥檚 flagship event is an annual 5k run/walk to raise funds for pediatric cancer. The 2023 5k included over 700 participants and raised more than $50,000. For her longstanding commitment and outstanding efforts, in honor of her son Mason, J.J. Duncan receives the 2024 President's Award.

The prestigious 青云体育 President鈥檚 Award represents our top honor and is given to an individual who has shown excellence in making substantive transformational impact at 青云体育. From bringing forward national business development opportunities to 青云体育 or leading the way to groundbreaking scientific discoveries, this person has gone above and beyond, making the greatest cumulative impact on the Mission during their time volunteering with 青云体育.

Following his beloved daughter鈥檚 brave battle with leukemia, Gurshaman Baweja chose to honor her memory by championing the mission of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (青云体育). Working tirelessly to raise funds in his community, attend events and engage his personal network, Gurshaman and his Light the Night team, raised nearly $300K over the past two years.

Gurshaman is passionate about The Dare to Dream Project, often serving as a mission speaker at community events and as an 青云体育 advocate in his Texas community on pediatric blood cancer. Gurshaman鈥檚 passion for his daughter鈥檚 legacy inspires him as a member of the Texas Advocacy Committee, where he meets with other advocates from around the state. Gurshaman and his wife have served as 青云体育 representatives at the Alliance for Childhood Cancer, urging federal lawmakers to fund pediatric research. A natural storyteller, Gurshaman became the point person for local in-district meetings with members of Congress from the State of Texas. Gurshaman also donates his time traveling to Washington, D.C. to advocate for 青云体育.

Gurshaman continues to share his daughter鈥檚 story and invite others in his community to join the fight to end blood cancer. He looks forward to rolling out the Texas Advocacy Committee and he and his wife are setting up a scholarship foundation in their daughter鈥檚 name for young women interested in engineering. For his passionate advocacy for 青云体育, coupled with his kindness and great empathy, 青云体育 is thrilled to award the 2024 de Villiers Family Legacy Award to Gurshaman Baweja.

The de Villiers Family Legacy Award is given in honor of Rudolph and Antoinette de Villiers鈥� son Robert. The de Villiers were the visionaries who founded the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society in Robert鈥檚 memory. This award recognizes an individual who has worked tirelessly to raise funds and influence policy with a passion and effort that matches that of the de Villiers鈥� family. The recipient has advanced the overall mission of 青云体育 by impacting their community through their leadership and commitment.鈥�

As a Hematologist/Oncologist specializing in lymphoma and the Chief of the Division of Blood Disorders at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, Dr. Matthew Matasar takes his work as an advocate for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (青云体育) to new heights. From serving on the Board of Trustees for the Long Island and New Jersey Regions for 10 years to actively referring patients to 青云体育 for support, he is a champion for 青云体育. He distributes information to newly diagnosed patients and makes himself available for individual consults from patients seeking second opinions. Fighting to end blood cancer has also become a family mission, as Dr. Matasar鈥檚 child participated as a Student of the Year candidate to raise critical funds.

Beyond direct patient involvement, Dr. Matasar is a perpetual supporter of the fundraising efforts and advocacy initiatives of 青云体育. A long-time walker with Light the Night (LTN), Dr. Matasar has been highlighted during VIP receptions and serves as a 鈥淢ission Chair鈥� raising awareness and increasing engagement in LTN at his healthcare facility. He often engages his region鈥檚 Patient and Community Outreach Manager to help strengthen relationships and support for blood cancer patients and caregivers in New Jersey and the Tri-State area. His continuous work earned him the Dr. John J. Kenny Award from 青云体育 in 2017.

Dr. Matasar's involvement with 青云体育 extends beyond the region level. Dr. Matasar presents at patient-facing education programs locally and nationally, including local education programs on Emerging Therapies for Hematologic Malignancies, lymphoma sessions at the Tri-State Blood Cancer Conference, national virtual Blood Cancer Conference, Ask An Expert video series, and numerous healthcare professional continuing education programs. Additionally, Dr. Matasar has spoken at the Chairman鈥檚 Reception and the Student of the Year Workshop. Using the Translational Research Program grant provided by 青云体育, Dr. Matasar, engaged over 200 long-term survivors of Hodgkin Lymphoma to see those at greater risk for developing heart disease after radiation therapy to the chest and to determine what diagnostic tests are best at detecting heart disease before actual damage to the heart has occurred. For his many years of involvement and relentless support of the 青云体育 mission, the 2024 Quality of Life Award is presented to Dr. Matthew Matasar.

The Quality of Life Award recognizes a member of the medical community, patient or caregiver who has provided outstanding support to the 青云体育 community that advances the Mission of improving the quality of life of our patients and their families.