The Compassion Corner

An LTO Experience To Remember Reflecting: Leukemia Together has come so far, and it is crazy to process it sometimes. Leukemia Together started off as a small gesture to honor the passing of my grandfather, and now it has turned into a full on registered Nonprofit Organization with 1,750+ followers. On Instagram itself we have made over 300,000 impressions, and that number melts my heart just looking at it. I am so happy to be able to support patients and their families to ease the difficulties their lives contain.  The Drive Itself:  I was able to meet with a NJ chapter of Leukemia Together and collect a bunch of school supplies with them. There were hundreds of supplies: stickers, pens, pencils, highlighters, index cards, folders, binders, notebooks, planners, crosswords, sudokus, children's books, coloring pages, erasers, comic books, construction paper, notebook paper, and more. I am beyond thrilled with the outcome of this event. I will be taking all of this supplies and ...

Look Around & Be Grateful The world is so pure, we just need to escape that one bit of cruelty within it. Together as a community, we can do so. A world with just the light and no dark: my dream.  Over the years, I have come to realize that many of us take the things we have for granted. Forget designer shoes, some people don't even have socks to wear underneath their torn, old, and used shoes. Forget a small house, some people struggle to keep a roof over their head while others lay on the streets. Look around and open your eyes. The world along with the people in it needs more glimmers of hope. Who Is Damian? Talking To Damian Damian for one, is a warrior who is currently fighting Acute B-Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia Blood Cancer. Despite, being a leukemia warrior and undergoing treatment, Damian always tries his best to look at the bright side of things. Damian is a prime example of a true inspiration. For being so young, Damian does a lot more than one expects. He runs his o...

My First Steps In India India is a place holding great history, magnificence, and culture. Being born in the United States, my eyes were never opened to the world where there were struggles bigger than just studying for a test the next day. In 2020, I was able to visit India for the first time. I remember not knowing what expectations to hold when I got there. After the long plane ride, we finally arrived. I walked out of the large sliding airport doors and immediately saw several stray dogs running around. I looked to the left of me and as I observed the environment I was in, I saw a homeless woman and her young child sleeping against a hard pillar. I remember looking at my mom in worry, distressed about what to do. She told me we could buy the mom and daughter some food. As we walked over to the small stand, outside the airport, I kept turning my head to look at the woman and her daughter. It was a hot day and the sun was blaring down at my skin, they weren't even dressed appropr...

Simran's Life Experience I still remember the day and the date like no other. On December 25th, 2019, my grandpa was diagnosed with Leukemia Blood Cancer. Being in the fifth grade, and not clearly understanding what the word meant, I remember resorting to a simple Google search for research. Leukemia it said, a cancer of both blood-forming tissues and cells. It took me a while to understand the seriousness of the disease, but as the days went on and I witnessed the ongoing pain in my family's eyes, I came to see how powerful cancer is. Cancer, a simple word, can grasp a hold of an entire family. My family was one of the millions affected by the illness. 20 days after his diagnosis, my grandpa passed away on Christmas day.  This experience and losing a loved one opened up my eyes at a young age to the bigger outside world. At the age of 15, I decided I wanted to find a way that I could use to aid patients and their families going through a tough time. I started to brainstorm ide...

Community Change? How? In a community full of uncertainty, it is important to come together as one unit and take action. Now more than ever, aid from the community is strongly needed. It is time to look at the bigger picture and stop fantasizing about our lives. It is time to look outside the box, beyond our own lives.  Problems are everywhere. Currently, as I type, several thousand families are watching their loved ones fight for their lives, several thousand parents are wondering how they will feed their children, several thousand patients are wondering if they will live to see another day, and several thousand individuals are feeling isolated and alone.  All of these problems can be put to rest, and I will always strongly believe that. Now, you may be wondering, how? It's simple, through the community. By bringing the community together as one unit, we will be exposed to different thoughts, opinions, and ideas, all of which will inevitably impact the community. Together, le...