Actress Cynthia Nixon Lends Her Star Power to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., Feb. 26 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Actress Cynthia Nixon is lending her face and fame to help The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society raise awareness for one of its key campaigns, Light The Night(R) Walk, an annual fundraiser held each fall in approximately 250 communities in the United States and Canada.

The walk celebrates and commemorates the lives of people touched by leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma and raises money to support critical research and provide education and services to patients and their families. Participants at the walks carry illuminated balloons -- white for survivors, red for supporters.

As national spokesperson for the 2007 Light The Night Walk, Nixon has filmed a public service announcement and lent her image to brochures, email blasts and other publicity materials.

"The Society's mission is very close to my heart and I am honored to be the national spokesperson for Light The Night," Nixon said. "While tremendous leaps have been made discovering new and improved treatments, until a cure is found, there is still much work to be done."

Nixon became familiar with the urgent need to support blood cancer research because of friendships she made through her acting career. She performed in the Pulitzer Prize winning play "The Heidi Chronicles" written by Wendy Wasserstein, who succumbed to lymphoma just over a year ago. And while playing the role of Miranda Hobbes in "Sex and the City" she came to know the actor Evan Handler, who played Harry Goldenblatt, the lawyer husband of Charlotte York, Kristin Davis's character. Handler is also a leukemia survivor.

"Cynthia Nixon is an outstanding actress and a compassionate role model and we are thrilled that she is participating in this important campaign that pays tribute and brings hope to people battling cancer," said Dwayne Howell, the Society's president and CEO. "Her charisma and celebrity will bring more attention to the Society's quest for a cure and its commitment to give patients the best possible outcomes throughout their cancer experience."

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 $486 million in research specifically targeting leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma. Last year alone, the Society made 4.2 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.

  Contact: Andrea Greif
           914.821.8958
           andrea.greif@lls.org