SJEarthquakes.com
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We’re so excited to host the Light The Night Walk Saturday at Avaya Stadium. Tell us a bit about yourself and why you got involved with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society!
Courtney Karnes
: I've been with LLS for just over 12 years now and I've done just about every job with the organization under the sun. Right now I am the Executive Director of the Silicon Valley & Monterey Bay Area chapter and loving every bit of my job. What initially got me into the organization was a close family friend who had been diagnosed with multiple myeloma. I knew I wanted to do something in the community and to work with people for my professional career. This opportunity came up and the mission is so strong that I haven't left yet. What's kept me engaged for so long is all of the amazing people I have met. From patients and volunteers to corporate partners, the people involved in this organization are second to none.
Join the Quakes Team for Light The Night Walk!
SJEQ:
The Light The Night Walk itself aims to benefit LLS' funding of research to put an end to blood cancer and is a well-established event. What else has been in the works lately?
CK
: Light The Night has always been a cornerstone of our chapter for generating revenue for LLS. We generate over 80% of our revenue from corporate partnerships, so that's something we really celebrate. They have a huge impact on funding the mission of LLS. Outside of that, what we're mostly working on now is unique engagement points for our corporate and community partners to create new exciting events to fund the mission of LLS.
SJEQ
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How many Light the Night Walks does LLS do annually on a national level?
CK
: There 150 annual walks hosted around the country. In the Bay Area alone, stretching from Napa to the Silicon Valley, we have five walks that take place. You can see how that number would multiply stretching across the country.
SJEQ
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What's one inspiring story or moment you've experienced with LLS?
CK
: There are so many, that is exactly what keeps me engaged. Almost every single day, there is some cool connection point or story of impact in the community, or breakthrough from a therapeutic standpoint that just keeps me stoked on my job and where I choose to spend my career. One that pulls everything together
SJEQ
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Our honorary Hero, Liam Sousa is battling leukemia. Obviously not only does the club have a connection to his father Hugo, who played for the Quakes, but many of us have heard Liam's story or have been lucky enough to meet him. Can you share a bit about Liam for those who haven't been introduced yet?
CK
: One story about him that pulls everything together very beautifully happened when I first met Liam. He was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia at the age of 18 months. It's the most aggressive form of leukemia and a brutal disease. I didn't know him at the time of his diagnosis but I got a message on Facebook from a friend saying "Hey, my friend's son was diagnosed with leukemia, would you be willing to reach out to her?". I reached out to Liam's mom and asked if there was anything I could do for her. When your child is sick, you really don't leave the hospital. So I went and grabbed coffee with her at the hospital where Liam was being treated and I told her about the work LLS was doing, the programs we were funding and that we were here to support in any way. She later told me how nice it was to have that conversation with someone who understood. She didn't have to explain the disease. I'm no expert, but I've been around it enough to know that sometimes it's just nice to be there to support someone and not have a specific ask of you.
SJEQ
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What was one way LLS initially helped Liam's family?
CK
: We have a program called First Connection. It's for patients or family members to connect them to someone with similar a diagnosis or story. It's really important for them to hear that there's someone living and breathing with your same disease is very important. The nature of Liam's disease is a very aggressive and survival stories can be hard to come by. But I was able to connect Monique, Liam's mom, with the father of a survivor. His son has survived AML and she told me later how important that was to hear. I brought him a Light the Night lantern and I handed it to him and turned it on. He held that lantern up and his face not just because of the lantern, but just from the excitement of being an 18-month-old kid and having something that lights up in your hand. Knowing that LLS is providing funding for research and cares was such a beautiful coming together of everything that's great about LLS.
SJEQ
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How can people help Liam in particular?
CK
: He went into remission with this disease for a period of time and now has relapsed again, so his family is going through the same hell that they went through the first time. Now they need to get a transplant. They need a bone marrow donor and they need to find a match. The importance of people becoming registered bone marrow donors, they could save a life. They could save Liam's life. What they really appreciate is the support that they've got from the Quakes, from our board members and the community. They've just surrounded this family which is pretty powerful. The best way for Quakes fans to rally around Liam is to show up in mass. Getting involved, donating, spreading the word and sharing stories and being a part of this community. We're going to try and live stream it for them because they can't leave the hospital. We'll do a few surprise things for him that day, bring him some lanterns, and to see that the community is behind him is the way to go.
SJEQ
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Switching gears to the walk itself, share a bit about how Saturday will go, from the setup of the stadium, to the different stops along the way of the 1-mile walk.
CK
: This is everyone's opportunity if they haven't been to Avaya Stadium, to check it out. And if you haven't been, to see it like you've never seen it before. There will be upwards of 3,000 people carrying illuminated lanterns for this very short walk. The whole night is about bringing light to the dark world of cancer and doing something really cool as a community. The walk is for anyone who has a connection to cancer. It's not just blood cancer. LLS funds research that benefits many types of cancers and diseases.
The walk is a celebration of lives that we've lost and lives that are currently being impacted by the cancer journey and the community rallying together. There will be a sanctuary area to remember those lives lost, there will be live entertainment, a kids zone with inflatable play structures, glow in the dark face paint, and a VIP corporate lounge. The walk itself is visually spectacular. There are a few surprise elements along the walk route, we're going to deck out Avaya Stadium. When people come back we're going to host our first-ever Light the Late Night party. The TCL 4K Bar will be open and people can celebrate our impact on funding a cure.
