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Boy & Girl of the Year
National Capital Area Chapter's Boy & Girl of the Year
The Boy & Girl of the Year are local children battling blood cancers who serve as motivation and inspiration to Man & Woman of the Year candidates in their competition to raise funds and win the titles.
Boy of the Year
Andrew Luckabaugh
Andrew was diagnosed with Lymphocyte Predominant Hodgkin's Disease Stage 1b one week after his seventh birthday in 2006. What took nine long months to diagnose took only four short months to treat with a combination of six chemotherapy drugs and Andrew's favorite oncologist, Jay Greenberg, and his fantastic hem/onc nurse, Kristen McCauley! He spent the entire fall in and out of the hospital for chemo and illnesses. He lost his hair, lost his taste for sweets, and was greatly fatigued for a long time. Andrew still regularly has follow-up appointments to monitor the late effects of chemotherapy that have been appearing, worsened ADHD, depression, anxiety and now lung issues. But Andrew and his family are thankful that he is present with us and his three year off-treatment anniversary is officially December 15th! Andrew has taken this entire experience in stride and is not shy about sharing his story with his friends or others who will listen. He knows that through the prayers of many, he was able to beat this disease. He also knows that research helped find the treatment that got rid of his cancer so quickly. Now, Andrew is a 10 year old fourth grader who looks and acts like any other kid his age! He greatly enjoys Wii games, computer games, baseball, spending time with his friends and family. He hopes to help raise awareness and money to help other people fight this disease and find a cure for it!
Girl of the Year
Skyler Hundley
Skyler was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia ('ALL') in April 2007 at the age of four. Although she seemed otherwise healthy, we noticed some swollen lymph nodes her under chin and decided to pay a visit to our pediatrician. Upon further examination, her doctor discovered swollen lymph nodes all over her little body and a blood test revealed that her counts were severely abnormal. Skyler was rushed to Fairfax Hospital and admitted to the pediatric oncology ward. The next morning, after a spinal tap and bone marrow aspiration, she was officially diagnosed with ALL. While the initial diagnosis was terrifying and almost incomprehensible for us, Skyler confronted the news - like so many kids who receive a similar diagnosis - with a resiliency and bravery that gave the rest of us of hope and encouragement. The last few years have been a long and arduous journey as Skyler has battled her disease and confronted the consequences and ill effects of her cancer treatment. While there were some small setbacks along the way, overall, thanks to the excellent care of a team of oncologists and nurses from Children's Hospital, Skyler responded positively to her chemotherapy. Her leukemia is now in remission, and she completed her treatments in June 2009. Most amazingly, through out it all, Skyler always maintained her positive outlook and never lost her now-renowned "big, bright smile." She is an amazing little girl!
