Whiz Kid: Ario Nour

Name: Ario Nour

Age: 7

Activities: Mentors young cancer patients and enjoys playing soccer with friends.

What Makes Ario so Awesome?: Ario was diagnosed with brain tumor last summer, and had 10 hours of brain surgery in July. Through all this he managed to continue with radiation therapy and returned to school last fall.

When he first returned to school, Ario was going to class from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Now, his parents – Zohreh Firouzabdian and Naveed Nour – say he has managed to stay from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and even plays soccer with friends after school some days.

Now that he has returned to school he educates his classmates about cancer in children, and he is also a mentor to other pediatric cancer patients at Mass. General Hospital.

MGH even featured him in an article about Ario’s work as a mentor.

Ario was also nominated for the MGH 100 by the Francis H. Burr Proton Therapy Center. According to the MGH 100 web site: "the one hundred is an annual fundraiser for the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, honoring one hundred individuals and groups whose diligence and discoveries, philanthropy and passion have helped advance the fight against cancer."

The hospital also teamed Ario up with Cindy Aiena, a member of the MGH Pediatric Oncology Boston Marathon team in last week's race.