The Connecticut Westchester Hudson Valley Chapter of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) has named Connor Armstrong of Stamford an Honored Patient for its 2014 Newtown Light The Night

^®

Walk.

Light The Night walks funds to support blood cancer research and provide services to patients and their families. Each Light The Night Walk honors local blood cancer survivors and commemorates individuals who have lost their lives to these diseases.

The 2014 Newtown Walk will take place Saturday, September 27, at NYA Sports & Fitness Center, 4 Primrose Street. It will begin at 5 pm.

Registration is open at www.lightthenight.org/ctwhv.

As of September 23, at least two dozen teams were registered for this weekend’s walk and more than $40,000 had been raised for LLS.

Light The Night Walks are powerful and unique fundraising campaigns for LLS. They bring together families and communities to honor blood cancer survivors, as well as those lost to the disease, and shine a light on the importance of finding cures and providing access to treatments for blood cancer patients.

Connor was diagnosed at the age of six with b-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Connor had an unrelenting limp and what looked like bug bites on his body. His mother took him to a walk-in clinic, where he was tested for Lyme disease and West Nile virus. Two days later, Connor and his family were at Yale-New Haven Children’s hospital starting chemotherapy.

Connor has not let his diagnosis stop him. He is an active seven-year-old who loves school, jumping on the trampoline, riding his scooter and playing at the beach. Connor also enjoys playing video games on his Xbox.

This year, Connor’s family has formed their first Light The Night Walk team in Connecticut.

Through Light The Night, anyone — big, small, young and old — can have maximum impact on the LLS mission to find cures and improve the quality of life for blood cancer patients and their families.

Since it began in 1999, this national program of nearly 200 walks across North America each fall has helped LLS invest more than $1 billion in research to advance breakthrough cancer treatments that are saving lives today.

Last year, the seven Connecticut Westchester Hudson Valley Walks included more than 11,000 walkers who collectively raised over $1.6 million.

Newtown’s Walk will be the first for the 2014 season. Additional walks this year are scheduled for October 16 in South Windsor, October 18 in New Haven and Pomona, N.Y.; October 24 in Norwalk. October 25 in Poughkeepsie, N.Y.; and November 1 in Rye, N.Y.

To register or volunteer for a Walk, visit www.lightthenight.org or contact a member of the Light The Night Staff at 203-665-1451.