About Light The Night
At The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Light The Night we gather as a community to celebrate, honor, and remember those touched by blood cancers. Friends, families, schools, corporate teams, and sponsors join together to bring light to the darkness of cancer. The funds raised by this community fund lifesaving research, advocacy and support for blood cancer patients and their families. Join us in the fight to cure cancer!
It is highly recommended that all blood cancer patients or other immunocompromised individuals check with their healthcare provider before attending this event. Research conducted by LLS and others has shown that some blood cancer patients do not get optimal protection from COVID-19 vaccination and may continue to have heightened susceptibility to contracting and becoming ill from COVID-19. While at the event, we urge our community to respect anyone’s choice to continue to take precautions like masking or social distancing.
There will also be a virtual event experience provided for any participants who would prefer to not join us in-person, held on November 15, Details to come in emails to all registered participants in early November.
IN-PERSON EVENT
Date: Saturday, October 1, 2022
Location: Cleveland University, 10850 Lowell Ave, Overland Park, 66210
Parking: Lots next to site Find Parking Here
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
5:30 PM – Festival Activities Begin
7:30 PM – Opening Ceremony
7:45 PM – Fireworks Show (begin walk after)
OTHER FAQS
How long is the walk? The walk is approximately one mile.
What if there is weather on event day? The in-person event is rain or shine.
Are dogs allowed? Yes
Can participants turn in donations at the event? Yes, participants can turn in donations at the Donation Collection tent at the event.
We acknowledge some participants might need ADA accommodations. We do our best to provide these accommodations at every location, however, depending on weather and venues, it may be difficult for participants using wheelchairs to move freely around all areas of specific walk sites. If you have questions or need support, please call us at 888-557-7177 in advance to discuss accommodations. Meeting the needs of all participants is very important to the Light The Night experience.
Additional FAQs on Light The Night
Check out what's on deck for Light The Night - KC 2022!
Get a lay of the land with our Event Site Map here.
New for 2022! Check out our new walk route!!
Introducing our 2022 Pediatric Light The Night Honored Hero
Adalynn 'Addie' Brunton
My name is Adalynn Jo Brunton. My birthday is on October 2nd, and I am 4 years old. I was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) on April 17, 2020, at 2.5 years old. I am currently in remission but still going through treatment. I will be done with my treatment in June 2022! I am a big sister to Lucy and our 2-year-old goldendoodle, Walter! I love going to preschool two days a week and having fun at dance class and swimming lessons! Playing outside, riding my bike, swimming, and going to the beach are some of my favorite things. I enjoy coloring, reading books, and watching Bluey, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Paw Patrol. I also love to play kitchen with all of my baby dolls! I have a stuffed puppy dog named Bobo who has loved me since I was born. He has helped comfort me throughout all my treatments! Although I have had a few rough patches during my treatment, overall, I am doing great!
It took my parents and pediatrician a few weeks to figure out what was wrong when I was first diagnosed. I kept telling Mommy and Daddy that my left hip hurt and I had a hard time walking every once in a while. I didn't have a fever or abnormal bruising, so after a few tests and X-rays with no answers, I had some blood work done. During the night of April 17th, I woke up with a high fever and leg pain. My Mommy took me to the pediatrician and based on the preliminary blood work, they thought I had Leukemia. The pediatrician had already called Children’s Mercy in downtown Kansas City to set everything up for us. They were awaiting for our arrival. We were told to go home, pack a bag and head downtown. Due to COVID protocols, we had to go through the ER and have my blood work re-checked before being admitted to the Oncology floor. My Mommy called my Daddy and he met us right away at Children’s Mercy. Once there, they only allowed one parent at a time, except for the first 2 nights since I was new to all of this. No other visitors were allowed because of COVID. This was so hard on the rest of my family, who all live close and wanted to be there with us. We did a lot of FaceTiming with family and friends! I was in the hospital for 5 days and started my chemo right away.
While in the hospital, I had my port put in,a bone marrow aspirate, and a spinal tap to get chemo into my spinal fluid. We were all very thankful to find out that no leukemia cells had crossed into my spinal fluid. By the time I got to go home, I was already feeling much better and acting more like myself. After a month of steroids and chemo treatments, my bone marrow was re-tested and I was declared in remission! From there we moved to the next phase of treatment. Each time I went into clinic, I got new and different chemo drugs. Some weeks I would only go once a week, sometimes it was every other week. There have also been a few times where my numbers were too low to get any additional chemo and we got sent home to come back the next week. There was some exciting news in the midst of all of my treatment. My baby sister, Lucy, was born on July 29, 2020! Luckily, I was in a really good place and feeling great. I was so excited to become a big sister!
On October 17th, 2020, I had a setback. I spent 10 days in the hospital because I got an infection in my bloodstream. Six months to the day of being initially diagnosed, I woke up with a fever and my parents knew something was not right. We called the Oncology department and they had us head straight to the Children’s Mercy ER. I was diagnosed with an infection in my bloodstream. It took a couple days for the doctors to figure out how to treat me. I had to have my port taken out to get the infection cleared up. Once the infection was gone, my port got put back in. I was still brave, even though I was very sick and lost all my hair. am so lucky to have the best team of doctors and nurses working so hard to keep me healthy! I love going to clinic and seeing all the new friends I've made.
I’m in the last phase of treatment, and I currently go to clinic once a month to get blood work done and all my numbers checked. There is a “sweet spot” of numbers that the doctors look for to make sure the leukemia isn't coming back. Even though I hope to be done with treatment soon, I still take chemo every night and get a spinal tap every three months at clinic. I have been such a strong girl throughout this entire process but I’m ready to put this speed bump behind me. Once I am done, I will definitely miss all of the wonderful relationships I have made throughout this entire journey.
I hope to see everyone support me and others like me at Light the Night - Kansas City this year. Join me and my family as we help bring light to the darkness of cancer. Support a cure and join us at Light The Night 2022!
2022 Light The Night Executive Committee
Ann Coleman | Spira Care
Danielle Duensing | Spira Care
Johnathon Myers | HCA Midwest
Keith Crane | ACI Boland
Lary Ippolito
Mark McGreevy | Walgreens
Matt Marlting | US Military
Monica Castro | Fox4 News
Pat Kueny
Kansas City 2022 Resources
Kansas City 2022 Retail Partnership Opportunities
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