Drive Away Cancer

I’m taking a one-post break from writing about things to do with kids in DC to write about a great cause. (And to let you know how you could win a Porsche!) The cause is leukemia & lymphoma, and the Porsche is the grand prize in a raffle to raise money for cancer research.

“Drive Away Cancer” was started by a good friend’s brother, Omar Dawood, whose story as a cancer survivor is nothing short of inspirational. At the age of 14, Omar was diagnosed with Stage IV Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. He endured years of treatment and surgeries in his fight against the disease. Thanks to the tireless dedication of doctors, nurses, and staff at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children in Philadelphia and to the cutting edge research of that time, he battled and beat his cancer. Over twenty years later, Omar is a cancer researcher and doctor, leading the development of clinical applications for the CyberKnife, a radiosurgery system for the treatment of cancer, helping thousands of cancer patients around the world.

Omar has recently been nominated as The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Man of the Year, and to “drive” his campaign, he has merged his two passions: supporting cancer research and cars. Every $25 donation to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s “Drive Away Cancer” campaign is a chance to win a 2010 Porsche Boxster (or $55K) and an opportunity to bring us one step closer to a cure. Omar’s dream is that one day, every person diagnosed with cancer will be able to tell his/her own story of how he/she became a survivor, too.

To purchase a raffle ticket, call 1-877-LLS-CURE. Tickets are $25.

For more information about Omar and his campaign, visit the Drive Away Cancer website.