$4,240.00

After 11 years fundraising for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, I'm excited to do my first year with the Wilmot Warrior Weekend!

On September 9, 2011, my life was changed forever when I was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia, a rare and aggressive form of blood cancer. I went through nine rounds of chemo, seven months of being immunocompromised, weeks in the hospital, countless blood and platelet transfusions, and a plethora of other procedures, but I came out on the other side, healthy and in remission. In November 2021, I celebrated 10 years in remission with so many people I never would have met if I hadn't been gifted these years, including my husband and some of my closest friends. It is a milestone that not everyone gets to reach, but not a day goes by that I am not thankful for it.

Funds from the Wilmot Warrior Walk benefit Wilmot's innovative cancer research and survivorship programs, and now that I'm farther removed from my diagnosis and treatment, survivorship is on the forefront of my mind. My visits with the oncologists are not to look for recurring cancer, but to monitor long-term effects of my treatment, from fertility, to bone density, to mental health. Programs like these give survivors like myself the tools and knowledge to live their best lives, and I'm excited to help raise money for it!

Here's a video of me singing the National Anthem at Wilmot's Survivor Night at the Red Wings in 2016!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lO5lQTW9sLc&ab_channel=DerekWilliams