When Scott Bauwens’s sister-in-law was first diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia a few years ago, he set a simple goal. He’d fundraise for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS), but only for a single campaign. Then, duty done, he’d go back to business as usual. But during that first campaign, something happened that changed his life. He started to meet leukemia survivors. One after another, they shared their stories.
“As I got more involved,” Bauwens says, “I realized how devastating a cancer diagnosis can be.” He also started to realize just how many members of his own community had been affected. Having spent 25 years working in the agricultural industry, Bauwens wrote on his LLS fundraising page how he’d “seen this terrible disease tear families apart.” Agricultural workers have a particularly high rate of blood cancer diagnosis due to their constant exposure to synthetic fertilizers, herbicides, and fungicides. And, as Bauwens noted, many struggle to afford the high costs of treatment.
The more he learned, the more it seemed like the disease was everywhere. But he…
