Community Corner
Montgomery man to be honored at Light The Night Walk this weekend
Mike Livorsi of Montgomery, Illinois, an acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) survivor, will be honored on Saturday, October 19 at The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) annual Light The Night Walk in Elmhurst. Mike will join thousands of other participants at locations around Illinois and Northwest Indiana to honor survivors, remember loved ones and walk in recognition of those still battling blood cancers.
In 2009, Mike went to see his doctor for a routine check-up and discovered that his white blood cell count was low, but within a normal range. Shortly thereafter, he returned to the doctor with a swollen ankle and had further blood tests and a CT scan. The results revealed a swollen lymph node, followed by a bone marrow biopsy that confirmed Mike had APL.
Mike’s form of leukemia is an extremely rare type of blood cancer. Mike began treatment right away with ATRA (all trans-retinoic acid), an oral chemotherapy drug. A few weeks later Mike suffered from pneumonia and also needed to take heart medication due to complications from chemotherapy. Finally, after 32 weeks of chemotherapy, Mike’s third biopsy came back clear.
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Unfortunately, in the summer of 2012, Mike contracted pneumonia again and has had to undergo bone marrow biopsies every three months with constant check-ups and blood work.
Mike and his family have been involved with LLS and Light The Night for three years.
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“I try to reach out to other cancer patients and survivors,“ he says. “I am a big supporter of LLS and everything they do!”
Light The Night is a two-mile, non-competitive event. In communities throughout the country, participants carry illuminated lanterns while they walk – white for survivors, red for supporters and gold to remember those lost to a blood cancer. Participants join with their family, friends and co-workers to raise funds for LLS in advance of the Walk.
The Elmhurst event will take place on October 19 at Berens Park. Pre-walk festivities include music, food, entertainment and kids activities beginning at 4:30 p.m. Mike will be recognized during a brief program at 5:45 p.m. and the Walk begins at sundown.
“We are so appreciative to Mike for sharing his experience with leukemia,” says Pam Swenk, executive director of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Greater Illinois Chapter. “The Light The Night Walk is an opportunity to celebrate survivors like Mike, stand alongside those currently fighting and remember the loved ones we have lost to a blood cancer. Thanks to the dollars raised at Light The Night, we are saving more lives not someday, but today.”
In addition to the Elmhurst event, the Light The Night Walk will take place on Saturday, October 19 in Chicago and Crown Point, IN, and in Glenview on Sunday, October 20. Last year, participants raised more than $50 million nationwide, and nearly $2 million in Illinois. For more information or to register for a local walk, contact the Greater Illinois Chapter of LLS at (312) 651-7354 or visit lightthenight.org/il.
Cancer Treatment Centers of America is the presenting sponsor of the Light The Night Walk. Other local sponsors include: Astellas USA Foundation, C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Greenberg Traurig, Office Max, Dominick’s, Wells Fargo Private Bank, LifeSource, ColeTaylorBank, Cupcakes for Courage, Rivers Casino, UPS, VITAS Innovative Hospice Care, NBC 5 Chicago and Pioneer Press.
Light The Night’s 2013 National Sponsors and Partners include: Burlington Coat Factory, Astellas Pharma, Barclays, Celgene, Elbit Systems of America, Foundation Beyond Belief, Genentech & Biogen Idec, Global Franchise Group, Millennium: The Takeda Oncology Company, Pfizer, PVH Corp, Spectrum Pharmaceuticals and Teva Oncology.
About The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society ® (LLS) is the world’s largest voluntary health agency dedicated to blood cancer. The LLS mission: Cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families. LLS funds lifesaving blood cancer research around the world and provides free information and support services.
Founded in 1949 and headquartered in White Plains, NY, LLS has chapters throughout the United States and Canada. To learn more, visit www.LLS.org or contact the Information Resource Center at (800) 955-4572, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET.
