Gary Rome Hyundai

'Light the Night' walk held in Northampton

NORTHAMPTON, Mass. (WGGB) -- According to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, over 130,000 Americans will be diagnosed with a blood cancer, whether it's leukemia, lymphoma or myeloma. That's almost one every four minutes. Now, a local car dealership is trying to help raise $10,000 for the society with the help of over 300 friends who participated in "Light the Night."



Four-year-old Giselle Ohm adds her hand print to the sea of other hand prints on the hood of a Hyundai SUV. This past year has been very difficult for her family as she has been fighting AAL, a form of Leukemia. Sunday, little Giselle is smiling. She may be too young to realize how important her effort is, but she's joining forces with other cancer survivors and their families to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society to help find a cure for her and other diseases.

"Light the Night" walks are being held all over the country, including Sunday's in Northampton. This year's walk was sponsored by Gary Rome Hyundai in Holyoke. General Sales Manager Cliff Dexheimer says that the battle of leukemia is something they hold close to their hearts. "It's particularly important this year because one of our employees lost his son. Carroll Perez lost his son to leukemia this summer," said Dexheimer.

Organizers hope to raise $10,000 from the Northampton walk, which is an inspiration to so many. "For me it's inspiring to see the participants come out to walk in honor in memory of someone they lost," said Senior Campaign Director Dana Croci. Inspiring it was, as over 300 people kicked off the walk carrying red balloons if they were a supporter, white if they were a survivor, and gold in memory of someone they lost to the disease.

www.wggb.com