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In 1946, when the Leukemia Research Foundation was established to memorialize 12 year-old Sherwin Pessin, leukemia was a well-known but not well-understood disease. For Sherwin, as well as the thousands of other children and adults stricken yearly, there was no hope and no possibility for a cure. Esther Reckles, Sherwin's aunt, decided to raise money to combat leukemia, in honor of her nephew. His doctor, Dr. Davidson of Mt. Sinai Hospital in Chicago, suggested raising money for medical research.
That first year, an enormous amount of money was raised, $1,500. (Keep in mind that the US average annual income in 1946 was only $2,500!) A check was presented to a local hospital to support leukemia research.
Understanding that a cure is the only permanent solution to ending the tragedy of blood cancers, this one woman's crusade motivated thousands to join her efforts to raise money for research. The year 2006 marked the 60th year that the LRF has relentlessly dedicated itself to finding a cure.
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