Pearl River's Quail Raising Money to Battle Cancer

Pearl River resident Megan Quaill will be sitting for the bar exam in July. 

The law stuident did not let that stop her from taking on a 10-week fundraising effort to help in the fight against cancer.

Quail shared her story in this blog on Patch. She was nominated by the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society for its Woman of the Year Award, which she described as a "10-week fundraising competition." The nominee who raises the most money by June 6 will be declared LLS Woman of the Year.

Quail began taking part in raising money for cancer research after her friend, Joe Pennisi, passed away from cancer in 2008. She ran a marathon for the American Cancer Society and chaired Georgetown University's Relay for Life during her four years there. 

Last year, she helped her friend Willa Sheridan's LLS Woman of the Year campaign. 

Quail's life had been touched by Leukemia when it struck her neighbor and friend, Francesco Galvano, who was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in 2011. His battle with the disease helped inspire her to join Sheridan's campaign last year and to take on her own this year. She calls her fundraising group Team Leukin' for a Cure. 

"We hope to raise nough money to find a cure for cancer so that no one else has to lose a friend as amazing as Joe was," Quail wrote. "But, until we get to that point, we're also raising money in hopes that LLS can find treatment options that make life a little bit easier for cancer patients so that everyone can life a life as full and optimistic as Francesco has during the last 21 months."

Quail's group is holding the 2nd Annual Fight Cancer Bash Saturday, April 6 from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. at OTB Pub (formerly Orangeburg Tavern) on Route 303 in Orangeburg.

Those interested can purchase tickets online at http://fightcancerbash.charityhappenings.org, or follow the Team Leukin' for a Cure campaign a thttp://www.mwoy.org/pages/nyc/nyc13/mquail.