Whiz Kids: 2nd Grade Cancer Survivor Trying to Help Father, Other Patients

It takes a lot of courage and perseverance to survive leukemia, but for a second-grader to do it and then work to help others do the same is exceptional

Eva Hooten, a second-grader at has done just that.  Her father Tim has an incurable form of cancer that requires him to get a daily treatment of chemotherapy.

He helps get the treatment through an organization called The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, which his daughter has helped support by working on a fund-raising campaign at Aveson. 

Eva has also been featured in a video on that site and was named Girl of the Year by that organization.

●      Whiz Kid's Name - Eva Hooten

●      Whiz Kid's Age (anybody 18 or younger is eligible): Eva is in 2nd grade

●      Whiz Kid's School - Aveson Charter School

●      Whiz Kid's Accomplishment - Named Girl of the Year by the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

●      Whiz Kid's Key to Awesomeness (what made him/her successful?)

Eva helped work on Aveson's Pennies for Patients fund-raising drive for LLS that helped kids in her class collect small change to help make a difference for people like her father Tim that need special treatment for their leukemia.  She spoke at a school assembly to help show other kids how important the organization is for people that need help. 

Alice Kechinian of Aveson described the importance of the fund-raiser this way: "Forty years ago, a child diagnosed with blood cancer had a 4 percent chance of survival, but today, because of programs like Pennies for Patients, the survival rate for childhood leukemia is 90 percent."