Help AC Writer Rissa Watkins Kick Leukemia's Butt!

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is a type of blood cancer that primarily affects children between the ages of 3-7. It's considered a childhood cancer because 80 percent of the time it affects children. People who have certain chromosome problems, Down's syndrome, or have been exposed to benzene are at a higher risk for develop ALL. But the prognosis is almost always positive, if you are a child: at least 80 percent survive with chemotherapy treatment.

But the person I want you to help today isn't a child. In fact, she doesn't have any risk factors for this disease. Statistically, she shouldn't have this disease--but she does.

Rissa Watkins began writing for Associated Content in December 2007. I got to know her through various forums in 2008, as did many writers and budding novelists on Associated Content. Rissa is too: she recently finished her first novel, and planned to write more. One of her short stories was featured in an anthology.

She also has a young son that needs her to be okay.

Unfortunately, adults with acute lymphoblastic leukemia are statistically less likely to survive this cancer. According to the National Marrow Donor Program, the five year survival rate for adults with ALL is about 40 percent. Adults who are considered low-risk, like Rissa, may have a higher survival rate. But many of us believe she has a 100 percent survival rate.

Doctors are already taking care of her and trying to get this evil cancer out of her. But the bills are piling up--and she can't work.

Yesterday, all of her AC friends got together to create a plan to ease her financial burden--and offer emotional support. She's going to need all the support she needs. If you want to help a fellow writer out, please do the following:

1. Visit her Associated Content profile and read all of her articles. This will help increase her performance payment for next month. Every penny counts.

2. Write an article about Rissa's battle with ALL and post it on Associated Content or your personal blog. Send me the link and I'll personally include it in this article. Also, tweet your story to everybody you know. Tweet it to celebrities. Sometimes celebrities will retweet it.

3. Visit Rissa's GiveForward page and donate. You don't have to donate $100 or $500, although if you want to, it would help her out so much. You can donate as little or as much as you want to. Just make sure to donate something. If you can't, you can still help by tweeting or sharing her page on Facebook.

4. Donate directly to Rissa's Paypal account. Lyn Lomasi has a donation button on her website Lifesuccessfully.com, where you can privately donate money straight to Rissa's account. No fees are taken from your donation. Tweet or share Lyn's post on Facebook and encourage others to do the same.

Remember, we can help make her financial burden and her recovery easier if we group together to help her out!

Others Who are Helping Out
Marie Anne's Missives: Help Me Help Rissa
theBarefoot: Word of the Week Wednesday: Solve This
Down the Muse's Path: Freelance Writing Family - Helping Rissa

Sources:

"Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL)", Marrow.org (Accessed December 30, 2010)