Months after losing his father to acute myeloid leukemia, San Rafael High School sophomore Orion Greene has raised $1.2 million for Blood Cancer United, a national nonprofit the organization describes as the world's largest dedicated to blood cancer research and patient support.
Greene, 16, earned the title of 2026 National Student Visionary of the Year from the organization, formerly known as the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, the Marin Independent Journal reported Friday, July 17.
The sum is staggering for a seven-week student campaign. It also carries a family legacy: Greene's father, John Greene, was a Blood Cancer United board member who raised about $8 million for the cause over 15 years of treatment that included three stem cell transplants. John Greene died last November.
"My dad inspired me to be bold when fundraising," Orion Greene said. "I really liked creating custom merchandise inspired by my dad's band, his love of piano and of our family cat, Katniss. It was a unique way to help families impacted by blood cancer."
The merchandise line, designed by Orion's mother, Heather Greene, included T-shirts and coffee mugs sold online and at John Greene's memorial event in March. The campaign also drew a contribution from San Francisco-based Salesforce, where John Greene worked for more than a decade.
Orion didn't work alone. His older brother Floyd Greene, a past participant in the Student Visionaries of the Year program, helped guide the effort, and a team of fellow students joined the campaign.
The Student Visionaries of the Year program gives high school students seven weeks to develop a business plan, educate their communities about blood cancers, and fundraise for research and patient services. The program has run for nearly a decade, according to Blood Cancer United.
Blood Cancer United says nearly 200,000 people a year in the U.S. are diagnosed with leukemia, lymphoma or myeloma.
Dr. E. Anders Kolb, the organization's president and CEO, said Orion's campaign "inspired support at an incredible scale."
