A Few Words From Jon:
Eddie and I had a nascent business friendship when his son Aaron was a baby. I remember Eddie getting a very serious call from his wife Lisa about Aaron’s undiagnosed failing health one day on the golf course. Eddie didn’t say a lot (unusual for Eddie as I have learned over the years) but he said that something was terribly wrong with Aaron and no one knew what.
It turned out that Aaron had leukemia. A few weeks later Aaron was full time at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore. Lisa spent 24/7 with Aaron during week and the same for Eddie on weekends. At that time my high school son was running indoor track. The most boring thing for a parent is when there kid runs for 45 seconds at 9am, another 45 seconds hours later and then must hang out to see if he runs yet another 45 seconds at some later point in the day. A couple of the meets were in Baltimore and I went to check on Eddie between races.
Eddie was caring for baby Aaron, around Aaron’s first birthday, mostly by himself on weekends. The nurses came in but it was largely on Eddie. We sat on the floor in the darkened hospital room watching football on very low volume so as to not to disturb Aaron. The setting was a bit surreal for me. I will never forget Eddie and I changing a tube that went into Aaron’s stomach. Eddie appeared calm but I was a wreck inside. So impactful. I will never ever forget that day and Eddie’s bravery. Eddie and I have been fast friends ever since.
Around this time Aaron’s older brother Alec, almost 3 at the time, became Aaron’s bone marrow donor.
Over the years I have seen Aaron, now 22, grow up at a distance. I have seen him occasionally, more when he was much younger, but most of my info comes from Eddie. This May, Aaron will graduate from Virginia Tech with a BS in Biology and minor in Chemistry.
Here’s the bigger story about Aaron, the Augustine family and Blood Cancer United in Eddie’s words with a little help from ChatGPT.
My son, Aaron Augustine, was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) and if it wasn’t for organizations like Blood Cancer United, he would most likely not be here today.
Organizations like Blood Cancer United (formerly The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society) are doing a great job solving this problem because they work at every stage of the blood cancer journey — from the lab bench to the hospital room to public policy.
Here’s how that translates into real impact for families like mine:
They Accelerate Lifesaving Research
Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML), especially in infants and young children, used to have far fewer effective treatment options. Blood Cancer United:
• Funds early-stage scientific discoveries that often-become tomorrow’s standard treatments
• Supports clinical trials to test safer, more targeted therapies
• Invests in innovative treatments like precision medicine and immunotherapy
Many of today’s improved survival rates for AML are directly tied to decades of nonprofit-funded research that made therapies more effective and less toxic. Survival improvements don’t happen by accident — they happen because organizations intentionally fund bold science.
Aaron’s survival is part of that progress story.
They Support Families During the Hardest Moments
Beyond research, they provide:
• Free patient education and treatment navigation
• Access to financial assistance programs
• Help connecting families to specialists and clinical trials
When a child is diagnosed, parents are suddenly navigating a complex medical system. Blood Cancer United works to reduce confusion, financial strain, and isolation.
They Advocate for Access to Treatment
Breakthrough treatments only matter if patients can actually receive them. The organization:
• Pushes for policies that expand insurance coverage
• Advocates for research funding at the federal level
• Works to eliminate disparities in care
This ensures that advances in AML treatment are not limited to a small group of patients — but accessible nationwide.
They Focus on Long-Term Survivorship
Because more children like Aaron are surviving, there’s now a growing population of long-term survivors. Blood Cancer United supports research and programming focused on:
• Late effects of treatment
• Quality of life improvements
• Long-term health monitoring
They aren’t just trying to help children survive AML — they’re working to help them thrive into adulthood.
Why This Matters
Twenty years ago, infant AML outcomes were far more uncertain. Today, survival rates have improved significantly due to better chemotherapy protocols, supportive care, targeted therapies, and clinical research funding.
Aaron’s story is living proof that:
• Research funding changes outcomes
• Early investment in science saves lives
• Community-driven fundraising translates into real-world cures
Blood Cancer United is solving this problem not through one breakthrough, but through sustained, strategic investment in research, patient support, and policy change — year after year.
Our family became involved with Blood Cancer United (formerly The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society – LLS) in 2007, three years after Aaron’s diagnosis, when we first participated in Light The Night. What began as a way to give back quickly became a central part of our lives.
In 2012, Aaron was selected as the Maryland Boy of the Year, and he was honored again in 2018. From second grade through middle school, he participated for six years in Blood Cancer United Pennies for Patients, helping raise funds and awareness among his peers.
In 2020, Aaron ran for Blood Cancer United Student Visionaries of the Year, finishing second in Maryland after raising an incredible $147,000 in just seven weeks.
My wife, Lisa, has also been deeply involved. She participated in Blood Caner United Team In Training from 2012–2014 and later served as Co-Chair (2022) and Chair (2023) for Maryland’s Blood Cancer United Student Visionaries campaign.
This year, I am running for Blood Cancer United Visionaries of the Year. Last year, the combined Maryland teams raised just under $200,000. My personal goal this year is to raise more than $200,000 on my own to advance Blood Cancer United’s mission to cure blood cancers and improve the quality of life.
After experiencing firsthand the incredible support Blood Cancer United provided to families like ours, giving back was a no-brainer. We truly believe that if it weren’t for organizations like Blood Cancer United, Aaron likely would not be with us today. At the time of his diagnosis, he had less than a 30% chance of survival.
When our oldest son, almost 3 year old Alec, became Aaron’s bone marrow donor, his chances improved — but still remained below 50%. Even with a bone marrow transplant, the odds were daunting. The advances in research, treatment protocols, and supportive care made possible through sustained funding are what ultimately gave Aaron a fighting chance.