A Clifton Park teenager is trying to turn her personal heartache into hope for others.

Kaitlyn Hansen lost her dad, Keith, to multiple myeloma when she was just 4 years old. She calls him her “inspiration, idol and hero.”

Now 17, Kaitylin is raising tens of thousands of dollars for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society as a “Student Visionary of the Year.” She’s been holding fundraisers. One of them is an event with a band last weekend. She’s trying to surpass her goal of $56,000, which is exactly how much she raised when she participated in the campaign two years ago.

The campaign ends at 5:30 p.m. Thursday. She is getting close to the goal, but needs some help.

MORE: Kaitlyn’s Student Visionaries of the Year Fundraiser