Days of our Lives 'Lights The Night' Again with The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society on October 12

Days of our Lives 'Lights The Night' Again with The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society on October 12

NBC's number one Daytime Drama Begins Celebrating its 40th Anniversary by Renewing Charity Relationship

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., Oct. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society announced today that it has renewed and enhanced its relationship with NBC's number one rated daytime drama, Days of our Lives as the show prepares to celebrate its 40th Anniversary on the air. On October 12, Days of our Lives will raise awareness of the Society's Light The Night(R) Walks as one of its characters, Abby Deveraux, a leukemia survivor played by Ashley Benson solicits sponsors and team sign-ups for a Light The Night Walk in the fictional town of Salem.

Light The Night Walk is The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's nationwide evening Walk to build awareness of blood cancers and raise funds for cures. Walkers carry illuminated balloons -- white for survivors and red for supporters -- to celebrate and commemorate lives touched by cancer. Funds raised by participants fund lifesaving research and patient services.

The renewed relationship comes after both organizations worked together in 2002 to also promote the Society's Light The Night Walks. Days of our Lives incorporated an on-screen walk led by Abby, a character's battle with leukemia, several months of fundraising efforts and the inclusion of leukemia survivors on the show. In real life, Days of our Lives talent and staff have, and continue to, participate in walks around the country. In addition to the special October episode, Days of our Lives will help pay tribute to and reward top LLS fundraisers who participate in the society's prestigious Man and Woman of the Year program.

"The partnership between Days of our Lives and The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society is very important to our show," said Greg Meng, Senior Vice President of Corday Productions. "Our cast members really got a lot out of participating in Light The Night Walks and the response we received from our fans was tremendous. It was only fitting that we would revisit this relationship and expand upon it as part of our 40th anniversary."

"We are honored that the producers at Corday Productions have agreed to incorporate The Light The Night Walk into the show again this year," said Dwayne Howell, the Society's President and CEO. "The show is an effective vehicle to build awareness of the Light The Night Walk campaign, the importance of supporting research and of the Society's mission to cure leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma and improve the quality of life of patients and their families."

About The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society(R), headquartered in White Plains, NY, with 66 chapters in the United States and Canada, is the world's largest voluntary health organization dedicated to funding blood cancer research and providing education and patient services. The Society's mission: Cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families. Since its founding in 1949, the Society has invested more than $424 million in research specifically targeting leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma. Last year alone, the Society made 2.5 million contacts with patients, caregivers and healthcare professionals.

For more information about blood cancer, visit http://www.lls.org/ or call the Society's Information Resource Center (IRC), a call center staffed by master's level social workers, nurses and health educators who provide information, support and resources to patients and their families and caregivers. IRC information specialists are available at (800) 955-4572, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET.

About Days of our Lives

Days of our Lives is the longest-running scripted series on NBC. Produced by Corday Productions, Inc. in association with Sony Pictures Television, Days of our Lives celebrates its 40th anniversary, November 8, 2005. The award- winning daytime drama tapes 50 weeks a year, five days a week, creating one hour of daily programming adding up to more than 10,150 original hours of programming to date. The famous words that introduce the beginning of each episode: "Like sands through the hourglass, so are the days of our lives ...," and the hourglass brand, have become an iconic part of American pop culture. Days of our Lives airs throughout North America, Europe, Scandinavia, the Middle East and Africa.

Contact: Nancy Klein / Andrea McKinnon The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society / Corday Productions (914) 821-8812 / (818) 840-2810 kleinn@lls.org / AMcKinnon@dool.net

Source: The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

CONTACT: Nancy Klein of The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, +1-914-821-8812, kleinn@lls.org; or Andrea McKinnon of Corday Productions, +1-818-840-2810, AMcKinnon@dool.net

Web site: http://www.lls.org/

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