All was right in 19 year old Molly Gorczyca's world. She was playing field hockey as a student-athlete at Rowan University and loving it.  She was majoring in Communications and by anyone's standards, was at the top of her game.  No one was prepared for what came next.  On April 26, 2019, Molly was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia and instead of fighting on the hockey field, she would have to fight for her life.

Molly left school to seek immediate, treatment. She suffered a lung infection that sent  her to the hospital for 55 days, there would also be four rounds of chemotherapy to fight the cancer. In addition to that, her medical team found a gene mutation called FLT-3, Molly would need a bone marrow transplant too.

As it turns out, looking for a donor was closer to home than she thought.  “My brother was a 100% DNA match,” said Molly. “He selflessly donated his marrow to save my life, and after three months of isolation I was able to go home. I still go back to get blood draws, scans, and biopsies to make sure it has not come back, but I’ve passed my one-year post-transplant check-up with no traces of Leukemia.”

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Today Molly is doing amazing! She is now back at school in her senior year of college and back to playing field hockey!  She's even showing off and adding a second major.  In her little spare time, Molly has been rallying her friends and family (and now all of us) to help others who suffer from Leukemia and Lymphoma.  She's been raising awareness for The Big Climb to help raise funds for LLS.  As a result of her hard work, Molly has been nominated as The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) Honored Hero for the New Jersey Big Climb, taking place on May 15, 2021!

Congratulations Molly for being a fighter and for caring about everyone else sharing your fight!  “I started the team AML Warriors to not only represent my fight, but also my boyfriend Ryan who lost his fight with cancer this past March,”. Molly set a goal to raise $10,000 and she hopes her team will surpass it.  Let's help her climb to the top of this goal!

Molly and boyfriend Ryan
Molly and boyfriend Ryan
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Big Climb is an annual stair-climbing event that raises funds toward research and support for those battling blood cancers. Communities come together to create fundraising teams composed of local and national corporate sponsors as well as friends, family, individuals, and other retail partners. All donations raised by these teams will be used toward searching for a cure for leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease, and Myeloma while also providing education and services for patients and their families.

There is no registration fee to participate, but by raising $250 you will earn your bib, medal, and t-shirt with additional prizes the more you fundraise. All can participate and assist in finding a cure for these cancers.

You can join Molly’s team, AML Warriors, or form your own by calling the New Jersey Chapter at 908.956.6614, email BigClimbNJ@lls.org, or visit www.bigclimb.org/nj.

We are SO proud of you Molly...THANK YOU for being such an inspiration!
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