East Cobb Community Rallies Around Ill Cheerleader

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An East Cobb cheerleader and Johnson Ferry Baptist Church member who has been diagnosed with a rare blood disease has begun her fight against the illness with the help of her loved ones and the community around her.

According to FOX 5 Atlanta, Cara Seckman, a senior and cheerleader at Walton High School, was diagnosed with hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) earlier this month and has begun chemotherapy treatment for the potentially fatal disease. HLH is caused by a hyperactive immune system which turns against blood and bone marrow cells.

A church acquaintance of Seckman’s created a t-shirt which reads “#SeckmanStrong” and began selling it online with the proceeds going to the family, FOX 5 reports. The family instead directed the money towards medical research into the disease.

Walton’s community has rallied around their stricken classmate; the school’s track teams dedicated their recent performances in a statewide meet to Seckman, and several Walton students wore yellow on May 12 to honor the young woman.

Financial support for the family has been tremendous; so far, the t-shirt sales campaign has blown past its fundraising goals, with 204 shirts sold and $4,700 raised. Additionally, a GoFundMe page has been set up which looks to raise a further $1,000 for Seckman’s battle.