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I wanted to share the story behind The Leukemia & Lymphoma's newest program - LLS Play2Cures, which is an online casual gaming program where users purchase tokens to play games and the proceeds go to benefit patients suffering from blood-related cancers. The program was developed by a family right in the heart of battling leukemia. It's really inspirational.
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Taylor Carol was a typical 11-year-old boy, into sports and video games and all the normal activities of boys his age. But when he got hit by a pitch during a baseball game in March 2006, his world turned upside down. Follow up testing revealed something more ominous than an injured elbow – leukemia.
A diagnosis of Philadelphia positive acute lymphocytic leukemia, a particularly lethal form of the disease that does not respond to normal treatment, led the family to relocate to Seattle for a year so Taylor could receive a bone marrow transplant at Childrens Hospital.
During the long grueling months that Taylor was sequestered at the hospital fighting for his life, his father Jim Carol, CEO of Game 7 Entertainment Inc., began tinkering with an idea to match his expertise in designing software with his strong desire to help other children going through his son’s ordeal. The result was Pledgeplay, an innovative customizable online casual games and fundraising platform.
Today The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society launched Play2Cures (lls.play2cures.org)
which employs the Plegeplay platform and allows participants to play casual games online while donating money to help find cures for leukemia, lymphoma and other blood cancers.
It works by allowing players to purchase online tokens - $1 per token and a minimum of $10 - to play the games, such as solitaire and miniature golf. Each token purchased will help fund blood cancer research, provide critical information and support to patients and their families and help LLS advocate for issues impacting blood cancer patients. Players can play from a choice of six games. Tokens can be given to friends and family, and participants are encouraged to compete against each other for top scores.
Carol envisions Pledgeplay as a way for families to bond with one another while doing something positive for other families. Surveys reveal that more than 50 million U.S. adults enjoy playing family-friendly casual games online. According to a 2007 survey by Information Solutions Group, adults reported that playing online games provided an opportunity for them to bond with their children or grandchildren.
Carol’s son Taylor played a major role in Pledgeplay’s creation.
"For one year Taylor worked hard helping me start this company as our video game expert while he was hospitalized,” said Jim. “It was an awesome distraction and motivator. He was officially our VP of game evaluation.”
Taylor is also the patient honoree for Play2Cures, and a video telling his story can be viewed at the site.
“Helping to design this program was really fun and helped me get my mind off how terrible I was feeling most of the time,” says Taylor. “Now I hope other kids and their parents and grandparents can have as much fun playing the games as I had helping to create the site, and they can feel good knowing they’re helping kids just like me.”
“The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society is excited about this opportunity to offer a unique fundraising program that lets participants have a great time playing skill games online and even engaging in friendly competition with one another, while also donating to lifesaving research,” said Nancy L. Klein, Chief Marketing and Revenue Officer of LLS. “More children are impacted by leukemia than any other cancer. We’re sure that Play2Cures will appeal to parents and grandparents who are interested in helping children just like their own.”
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We're promoting this program mainly via social media like facebook, MySpace, and Twitter, along w/ game forums and some blog outreach. I invite you to take a look at LLS Play2Cures. My favorite game is Sudoku Save (and right now I have the high score - cryssteen)!
LLS Play2Cures: http://lls.play2cures.org
Facebook: http://www.new.facebook.com/pages/LLS-Play2Cures-Play-Online-Games-To-Fi...
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/llsplay2cures
Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=815BE9DF334E305D
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/lls_play2cures
lls.org: http://www.leukemia-lymphoma.org//all_page.adp?item_id=533051
