Our Corporate Walk Chair and Corporate Ambassadors are local professionals and volunteers who support the mission of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society through fundraising initiatives, expanding corporate partnerships and planning special events. They are the leaders and advocates for The Rocky Mountain Light The Night Walk.

2020 Rocky Mountain Light The Night Corporate Walk Chair
 

Chad Scripps, Managing Partner Black Lake Capital

Charles Scripps (Chad) is Managing Partner of Black Lake Capital, a private equity investment firm focusing on technology and innovation-enabled businesses. Since its founding in 2013, Black Lake has completed seven acquisitions in businesses with $600M in combined annual sales, and Chad currently sits on the boards of directors of five firms. Chad brings two decades of experience investing in private and public businesses. Prior to founding Black Lake, he was at leading private equity firms HIG Capital in Miami and AEA Investors in New York, which manage $37B and $15B, respectively. He began his career as a management consultant with McKinsey & Company in Chicago. Chad earned an MBA with Honors from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and a BS in Chemical Engineering with Distinction from the University of Wisconsin. Originally from Milwaukee, Chad lives with wife and two sons, aged 12 and 9, in Evergreen, where he enjoys skiing, golf, Belgian beer, and yacht rock.

2020 Rocky Mountain Light The Night Corporate Ambassadors 

Adam Kemper, Plumb Marketing

Brandon Moore, JE Dunn

Christine Alexander, Sanofi Genzyme

Cris Bryant, Layton Construction

Curtis Haldeman, Granite Construction

Laraine Saldivar, Bryan Construction

Lisa Anderson, Exelixis

Monte Smith, Terumo BCT

2020 Rocky Mountain Light The Night Honored Hero

Elizabeth DeRose

A cancer diagnosis is not something that anyone can ever prepare themselves for, no matter their age.  At 24, my Stage IV Hodgkin’s Lymphoma diagnosis was a complete shock.  I worked out regularly, I ate healthy, I was happy.  I had just successfully completed the four CPA exams and was wrapping up my first year in public accounting.  I was not supposed to get cancer.

In April 2019, I noticed an enlarged lymph node in my neck and almost immediately brought it to the attention of my doctor.  An initial ultrasound showed that the lymph node looked “reactive”, meaning it was most likely a cold or allergies.  I continued to push through the following months – something that young people are conditioned to do – however, I developed a consistent cough and fatigue.  I justified these as symptoms of the pace of my work and fast-paced lifestyle.

A few months after that initial ultrasound with worsening symptoms, I wound up back in my doctor’s office telling her about my cough and the new lymph nodes that had grown.  She immediately scheduled x-rays and the results showed multiple masses throughout my chest and diaphragm.  Within a week I had a CT scan, an ultrasound, and biopsy surgery, eventually leading to my official diagnosis in September 2019.  After another week I had had begun chemotherapy and my personal journey with this disease.

The following six months brought a total of twelve chemotherapy treatments and the terrible side effects that accompany those treatments.  There isn’t a way to accurately describe chemotherapy to someone who has never experienced it other than the fact that it feels like your body is not your own.  For six months I felt like a stranger in my own body.  I recovered from each treatment only to be knocked down again by the next one.  

I continued to work for three months until I eventually reached the decision that I would take the remaining three months off to focus on myself and my health.  I continued to work out, see friends, read, and carry on a relatively normal lifestyle.  

I am now in remission and I wouldn’t be where I am today without the incredible support that I received from everyone in my life as well as from LLS.

There isn’t a roadmap or brochure that you receive along with a cancer diagnosis.  There are many difficult decisions that both patients and caretakers make.  One of the first thoughts that I had when I was diagnosed was how my career would be affected by this disease, not if I would survive it or not.  Thanks to The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, there are many resources to help people through this wild journey.   

My experience with blood cancer pushed me to want to guide and help other young people who face a similar diagnosis.  I want to be a positive guide and light for young adults that are faced with similar situations.  That is how I first got involved with The Leukemia and Lymphoma society.  After further dialogue with them, I came to find that my specific chemotherapy treatment was largely funded by LLS.  The money that events like Light the Night raise helps to fund the treatments for future patients.  These funds can be the difference between life and death. They were for me.

Thanks to events like Light the Night and sponsors and volunteers that help to make it happen, I, and many other people who have fought or are still fighting blood cancer, can focus on getting healthy rather than worrying about treatment plans, finances, or even navigating a global pandemic.  I sincerely thank you for your contributions to this amazing foundation.  I am so grateful to be able to share my story.