Eliana Heller

Congregation B’nai Amoona

Eliana wanted to be a “Champion For Cures” by raising at least $100 to help fight blood cancer. So, she contacted family and friends to support her in The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) Light the Night Walk. With their donations, she became that Champion because she raised over $400.

This particular organization was chosen because Eliana wanted to honor her Aunt Phyllis, a survivor. Thirteen years ago, when Eliana was just a baby, her Aunt Phyllis was diagnosed with of a rare form of lymphoma. She was given no more than two years to live unless she took a risk and underwent an aggressive, yet unproven, treatment that could either save her or kill her. She took the risk and 13 years later she is a healthy woman.

Suzi and Mark Heller of Chesterfield, Eliana’s parents, love telling her the story of taking her to Aunt Phyllis’s treatment and how she cheered her up and brought some joy into a very scary time. Aunt Phyllis, a very upbeat person, only wanted smiling faces and happy people visiting her.

As soon as Eliana was old enough to make the two-mile trek, she and her family began participating in the Light the Night Walk. Eliana plans to continue raising money and walking every year with her Aunt Phyllis.

Light The Night is a nationwide evening walk that raises funds for cutting-edge cancer research and innovative programs.  The LLS mission is: Cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families. The goal is to ensure that all blood cancers are eliminated. To make a donation and learn more about the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, please visit their website at www.lls.org.

A student at Crestview Middle School, Eliana supported another organization for her mitzvah project, Project Linus. She made 25 fleece blankets for them. “I thought having a nice cozy blanket if your family is in crisis would make a child happy. I imagined a little girl or boy feeling happy and warm with their new blanket,” she said.

Project Linus is a national, non-profit organization with a two-fold mission. The first is to provide love, a sense of security, warmth and comfort to children who are seriously ill, traumatized, or otherwise in need through the gifts of new, handmade blankets. The second is to provide a rewarding and fun service opportunity for interested individuals and groups in local communities for the benefit of children. Nationally, they have distributed over three million blankets since its inception in 1995. The local chapter has donated just over five thousand blankets, since 2008. For more information on Project Linus, go to www.projectlinus.org.