OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — In this edition of the Morning Lift 3 News Now's Zach Williamson heads to Stinson Park in our Aksarben neighborhood ahead of Light the Night Omaha. It's an annual fundraiser put on by Blood Cancer United (formerly Leukemia & Lymphoma Society).
Earlier this month we introduced you to this year's Pediatric Honored Hero, Sylvi Kaiser. Find here story here.
For this story, blood cancer survivor Diana Gleisberg Meredith hops in the car with him to talk all about Thursday night's event.
Gleisberg Meredith was diagnosed with Stage 3 Hodgkin's Lymphoma in January of 2024. She says a couple of her friends introduced her to Light the Night so she began fundraising. She raised thousands of dollars for the event before going into remission in September of 2024. She planned a trip to celebrate her remission last September and ended up missing Light the Night in 2024. So this will be her first one!
After the event last year Gleisberg Meredith wanted to get more involved, so she joined the Light the Night Omaha Executive Leadership team. She says, "I'm here on the back's of others who didn't make it, so I need to continue to push progress forward."
She has done some advocacy work now with Blood Cancer United and helps families going through the same journey she did. She says the funds raised are extremely important and life saving. Those funds go to life saving research and treatments for the 100+ types of blood cancer.
"I was on four different chemo meds and one of the more aggressive meds wasn't even available two years prior," Gleisberg Meredith said. "So had I been diagnosed in 2022 versus 2024, would my outcome have been different?"
Nick Howe's story is another local example of life-saving medical advancements made thanks to money raised at events like Light the Night.
Blood Cancer United also helps patients and families with financial support and counseling throughout the journey.
KMTV is a proud sponsor of the event and Zach will serve as the ceremony emcee for the third consecutive year.
Light the Night is free to attend, and while its best to register to ensure you get a lantern to hold Thursday night, it's not mandatory. Everyone is invited and welcomed to the fun-filled, empowering night. We've all been touched by cancer.
