The Georgia Chapter of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society announces the 20th Annual Savannah Light The Night.  This year’s event is set for Friday, November 16th at Daffin Park.  Festivities begin at 5:30 p.m. and the stage program begins at 7 p.m., rain or shine.  Participants should plan to stay after the event for a new fireworks show!   

The event encourages teams of families, friends, co-workers and local and national corporations to come together to raise funds for LLS. As inspiration for Light The Night, LLS has selected one honored hero and one remembered hero, local Savannah residents who have fought blood cancers.

Savannah’s Honored Hero is Mark Best. In January 2006, Mark was diagnosed with stage IV Follicular Lymphoma. With tumors from his neck to groin, half of his bone marrow was cancerous. Primary treatments in Savannah withDr. Negrea using a standard chemotherapy called R-CHOP, plus Rituxan, a monoclonal antibody discovered with research funded by The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Mark has been blessed with 12+ years of remission from a technically incurable blood cancer. He continues to work at International Paper where he has been employed for over 26 years. Mark and his wife, Karin have helped raise funds for LLS for over 10 years.  

Savannah’s Remembered Hero is Jere Landis, Jr. Jere was the guy that never gave up on people. He has a smile that would light up a room and the personality to go with it. He married his high school sweetheart, Katherin, and they lived in Effingham County. Jere had a love for soccer and riding motorcycles. On January 6, 2015 the Landis family got the news that Jere had Non Hodgkin Lymphoma. Jere never wavered in his fight. In his words, “I do what I want” and “I am relentless.” With his wife, his mom Margaret, dad Jere Sr, and many other friends and family members by his side, Jere fought for nearly 2 ½ years before passing away on May 20, 2017. Savannah is honored to walk in memory of him.

“We are honored to have the opportunity to recognize Mark and Jere at Light The Night this year. It is about communities coming together to raise funds to cure blood cancers, and to also bring help and hope to those in the midst of their battle.   We are thankful to all of our teams, sponsors, volunteers, and especially the cancer survivors and families of those who walk in memory of a loved one who has passed away from cancer.  It takes all of us, together, to Light The Night towards a cure,” said David Pence, Chairman of the 2018 Savannah Light The Night for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Georgia Chapter.