Curing blood cancers

When someone gets a cancer diagnosis, it changes everything. This held true for the de Villiers family, who lost their son Robert to leukemia in 1944 and started a fundraising and education organization in New York that eventually grew into The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. What started as the de Villiers’ belief that leukemia and other blood cancers were curable turned into a national organization set on ending blood cancers once and for all.

A personal connection

For Anthony Lallis, cofounder and principal at Lallis & Higgins Insurance, helping people living with blood cancer is personal. A childhood leukemia survivor, Lallis knows firsthand the mental, physical and financial toll that cancer takes. That’s what drew him to The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, an organization that helps families navigate these challenging times through financial assistance and social support.

“Treatment for blood cancer has come a long way since I was a kid, and much of that is due to organizations like The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society,” said Lallis. Not only does the nonprofit help families with cancer-related costs, but it has invested nearly $1.6 billion in research to advance cures. Additionally, its grassroots network of more than 100,000 volunteers has helped advocate for numerous state and federal policy changes that improve patient access to care.

“Our partnership shows the impact we can all have when we work together to fight for a world without blood cancer.”

—Tara Rivard, executive director at The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society New England Region

Raising funds while having fun

The team at Lallis & Higgins Insurance have raised over $70,000 to help the fight against cancer — having some fun while they’re at it!

The whole agency supported Lallis in The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Man and Woman of the Year campaign (now known as the Visionaries of the Year campaign), a philanthropic competition in which candidates form powerful fundraising teams to support blood cancer research. With support from family, friends and clients, Lallis and team raised over $55,000 through online donations, a charity poker tournament and a meat raffle event, and Lallis was awarded the prestigious title of Man of the Year. Lallis also served for two years on the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Student of the Year and Man and Woman of the Year committees.

“Cancer does change everything, but community support makes anything possible.”

—Anthony Lallis, cofounder and principal at Lallis & Higgins Insurance

Most recently, Lallis competed in the 2021 Haymakers for Hope charitable boxing event on behalf of The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. He trained for 12 weeks in preparation for the sanctioned boxing match and raised an impressive $16,000 for the nonprofit. When he’s not in the ring, you can find Lallis competing in the Visionaries of the Year campaign as an all-star candidate. This year, he hopes to raise $50,000 for the nonprofit’s longstanding commitment to finding a cure.

“The contributions from Lallis & Higgins Insurance will change the lives of blood cancer patients and their families on both a local and far-reaching scale,” said Tara Rivard, executive director at The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society New England Region. “Our partnership shows the impact we can all have when we work together to fight for a world without blood cancer.”

Anything is possible

A $10,000 donation from Liberty Mutual and Safeco Insurance would help The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society provide immediate support to patients and families through treatment education, counseling and financial assistance. “Cancer does change everything,” said Lallis, “but community support makes anything possible.”

Help Lallis & Higgins Insurance win $10,000 for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society New England Region by clicking the vote button. Get them an extra vote by cheering them on in the comments below.