The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society hosts annual Light the Night walk at Henry Maier Festival Park

 

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Red, yellow and white lanterns decorated Milwaukee's lakefront Thursday night, Sept. 26

 The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's annual Light the Night is seeing big attendance numbers.

It's a beautiful display of support. The red lanterns are held by people just wanting to see a cure, gold by those who've lost a loved one due to a blood cancer, and white are current patients or survivors.

"And we invite all the survivors to come into the center of the survivor circle and basically the whole community is giving them a big hug," said Steven Bloom with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

CBS 58's Morning Meteorologist Justin Thompson-Gee is emcee'ing the event. He was at the event with his dad who was diagnosed with leukemia two years ago.

Organizers expect this Light the Night to be a record breaker at well over two thousand. It's an emotional event, with a mile walk around the lake, and visual reminders that all these lamps represent people who've been affected by leukemia and lymphoma. CBS 58's Michele Fiore met a three-time blood cancer survivor who's now a UWM nursing student, hoping to give back.

"And I just started clinicals this fall so it's tough, but I’m excited to help care for people in the same great way that nurses have cared for me in my experience with cancer," said Nick Welnetz, survivor.

Other walks just like it will be going on around the country in the next month. In the last 75 years, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society has been able to invest $1.75 billion in research and distribute $6 million in patient financial aid, in part thanks to events like Light the Night.