Jamie Alamillo and family. Courtesy photo.

The Greater Los Angeles Region of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society is pleased to announce that Jamie Alamillo from the Santa Clarita Valley has been nominated as a candidate for LLS’s 2021 Gold Coast Man of the Year.

Candidates across the county will form powerful fundraising teams and compete in honor of one local child who is a blood cancer survivor, to raise the most funds for blood cancer research. Alamillo is one of an elite group of community and business leaders who will compete for the titles of LLS’s Gold Coast Man & Woman of the Year.

Alamillo got involved with LLS because in 2013, he received a multiple myeloma diagnosis and told he would never walk again. Despite that dire prediction, Alamillo has finished a 540 mile bike ride, and several marathons. While the effort of doing a 540-mile ride was monumental, especially while still living with an incurable disease, Alamillo says that he always feels better on the bike.

“I still have spinal cord compression, which is uncomfortable, and some neuropathy,” he said. “But once I’m on my bike, it just goes away.”

Though he’s in remission, Alamillo still gets treated with a Zometa infusion every three months to harden his bones and protect him against further breaks. He also takes a chemo pill once a month, which causes the neuropathy.

Since going into remission, Alamillo has participated in 11 half marathons, three marathons, one triathlon, and an Ironman-distance duathlon, in addition to the charity rides. Alamillo is starting a trek on his bike in Santa Clarita to raise $10,000 for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

As a candidate, Alamillo will raise funds for a world without blood cancers between March 12th and May 23rd, 2021. The man and woman candidates who raise the most funds during the 10 week campaign will be awarded the titles Gold Coast Man & Woman of the Year at a Grand Finale on May 23rd 2021 at a virtual ceremony. The local winners are then entered into the competition for National Man & Woman of the Year titles.

LLS is the world’s leading non-profit voluntary health organization dedicated to finding cures for blood cancers and ensuring that patients have access to lifesaving treatments. Every nine minutes someone in the U.S. dies of a blood cancer. Through programs like Man & Woman of the Year, LLS has invested more than $1 billion in research to advance breakthrough therapies. The funds raised through LLS’s Man & Woman of the Year are used for:

– Research to advance targeted therapies and immunotherapies that are saving thousands of lives;

– Blood cancer information, education and support for patients;

– Policies that ensure patients have access to blood cancer treatments.

“Through programs like Man & Woman of the Year, LLS has invested more than $1.2 billion in research to advance breakthrough therapies. This past year marked a new era in the treatment of blood cancer. In all, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved 18 therapies to treat patients with blood cancer,” said Shannon Sullivan, LLS’s Greater Los Angeles Chapter Executive Director. “But there’s still more work to be done. Our Man & Woman of the Year candidates embody the idea that any individual can make a difference with hard work and dedication. Finding cures takes us all.”

There are many ways you can support Alamillo in his quest for a world without blood cancers. Become a member of his campaign team, sponsor the Grand Finale on May 23rd or simply pledge to make a donation during his campaign at bit.ly/jamiea21.

Visit the Man & Woman of the Year website and learn how you can become engaged with LLS.

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, provides free information and support services, and is the voice for all blood cancer patients seeking access to quality, affordable, coordinated care.

Founded in 1949 and headquartered in Rye Brook, NY, LLS has chapters throughout the United States and Canada. To learn more, visit www.LLS.org. Patients should contact the Information Resource Center at (800) 955-4572, Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m. EST.

For additional information visit lls.org/lls-newsnetwork.