Voices: the CMB Blog

In February of 2008, I was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. That year, my coworkers formed a Light the Night team as a way to rally around me and show their support as I began my two year journey to kick cancer’s butt! The Light the Night Walk is the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) annual fundraising event. The walk starts at dusk and everyone carries a lantern that is lit from within. There are three different types of lanterns: a red lantern shows support, a white lantern represents a survivor, and a gold lantern represents the memory of a lost loved one. It pays tribute to those who have fallen to this terrible disease and brings hope to those still battling cancer. This Thursday, CMB will be participating and walking as a team for the seventh year in a row.Since we started the walk, we have raised over $65,000 for LLS. And, in true CMB fashion, we had fun doing it. In the weeks leading up to the walk, we do a variety of events to excite and inform CMBers about LLS and their mission. For example, every year we sell tickets to a lunch courtesy of our resident champion BBQ master, Jared Huizenga. During the lunch, we also hold a silent auction and the items up for sale—homemade lunches, handmade scarves, photo editing sessions, etc.— give my coworkers a chance to showcase their diverse talents.  

As a cancer survivor, it means so much to me that something as negative as a cancer diagnosis could result in such a positive movement by CMB. Their participation with the Light the Night Walk is just one example of how my work family helped me through a very difficult time. There were many others: the daily visits from coworkers to help me countdown to the end of chemo and the easy acceptance of my wig, my scarf, or my bald head—whichever I chose to wear that day. 

LLS funds research with the goal of curing blood cancers. It provides support to patients and their families, and I (as well as countless others) have personally benefited from this research. Due in no small part to the advances made from this very research, I will celebrate five years in remission next May. I was the recipient of a lifesaving stem cell transplant and proton radiation therapy…and these are just two examples of the advanced therapies now available because of LLS. Thanks to them, I will be holding my white lantern high this Thursday.

From the LLS website:  When LLS was founded in 1949, a blood cancer diagnosis was almost always fatal. Thanks in part to innovative research funded by LLS, survival rates have doubled, tripled and even quadrupled for blood cancer patients. Today, cancer research in one area helps across all types of cancers. One example of this is the approval of the revolutionary drug Gleevac. The 10-year survival rate for certain blood cancer patients improved from 1 in 10 to nearly 9 in 10. 

We’re a small company trying to make a big difference. If you’d like to join us in the fight against cancer, please donate here or join us on Thursday at 5PM in the Boston Common.

Catherine Shannon is the Director of Finance at CMB. She’s a two time cancer survivor who is happy to say that she’ll celebrate five years in remission next May, and she looks forward to Light the Night tomorrow. 

By the CMB Light the Night Team

Thursday, October 10th, CMBers will gather for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's (LLS) Light the Night walk. The annual walk raises money to support a cure for the millions of people around the world who suffer from blood cancers. This is the 6th year CMB has had the honor of participating in this event and our dedicated team members have hosted a bbq and silent auction, a paint night, happy hours, bake sales (CMBers do love to cook!) and other creative fundraising events. Now it's just two days until the walk, and we're thrilled to announce that CMB is a  top 3 fundraiser for the LLS Boston Chapter!

As many of you know, the walk has a special place in our hearts because Catherine Shannon, our Director of Finance (and our inspiration to start walking in the first place) has been in remission from Hodgkin’s Lymphoma for 3+ years.  We couldn't be more thankful for the research that led to the treatment that has helped Catherine, and so many others, get healthy.

Thank you so much to everyone who has donated so far, and if you're in town this Thursday please join us as we walk for a cure.

 If you'd like to donate click on The CMB Light the Night Team Page.

From the CMB Light the Night Team:

Last Thursday, CMB employees, friends, and family gathered for our annual Light the Night BBQ and silent auction to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS). While the LLS supports research for millions of people around the world who suffer from blood cancer, we started participating in Light the Night for reasons a lot closer to home. In 2008, Catherine Shannon, our Director of Finance, was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. And when Catherine began what was to become two years of grueling treatment, CMB got walking.We went looking for creative ways to sponsor our team, and as luck would have it, CMBers aren’t just talented market researchers. Our Field Services Manager Jared Huizenga is President of the New England Barbecue Society, and for the past 5 years, he’s catered a full lunch including some seriously delicious pulled pork, corn bread, and macaroni and cheese, for over 60 enthusiastic ticketholders. This year, Jared started cooking at 4pm the afternoon before, eking out three hours of sleep, and showing us why he’s a champion competitive griller.

The silent auction was another chance to show-off the secret, and not so secret skills of other CMB team members. There were dozens of things on offer, including two hours of landscaping from Jonah and Sean, tech help from technology gurus Abdullah and Marc, custom designed party invitations from Stephanie, and of course a whole range of foods—from full meals like Rich’s chicken Vindaloo dinners and Tomoko’s Japanese curry to delicacies like T.J.’s homemade cannoli and ravioli.  All this eating (tough work) and bidding got us $4,000 closer to this year’s goal of $18,000. 

In the five years the CMB team has participated in the walk, we’ve raised over $36,000 and while it’s one of our favorite times of the year at CMB, we never forget why we started walking. Due in no small part to the advances made in cancer research, Catherine has been in remission for 2+ years.  We want to help more families have happy outcomes.  The LLS funds research with the goal of curing blood cancer and at the same time provides support to patients and their families.

From the LLS website:  When LLS was founded in 1949, a blood cancer diagnosis was almost always fatal. Thanks in part to innovative research funded by LLS, survival rates have doubled, tripled and even quadrupled for blood cancer patients. Today, cancer research in one area helps across all types of cancers.  One example of this is the approval of the revolutionary drug Gleevac. The 10-year survival rate for certain blood cancer patients improved from 1 in 10 to nearly 9 in 10.  Gleevac is also approved for patients with rare skin and stomach tumors, and is showing promise in many other cancers.

Help in the fight against cancer by donating to our team. Please click on the link below and give what you can.  Every dollar helps.  We want to kick cancer’s butt!

The CMB Light the Night Team Page

Posted  by Senior PM Lynne Castronuovo, Director of Finance Catherine Shannon, Office Manager Adrianne Economu, and Senior Associate Sean Kearney, who are constantly thinking up new ways to help us Light the Night.