OUR HONORED HERO: HENDRIX

We are raising money in honor of our biology teacher's nephew, Hendrix Wille. He was the son of Arthur and Rozanne Wille. Hendrix Wille was diagnosed with AML blood leukemia at the age of two. He was treated at Valley Children's Hospital in Madera before being transferred to UCSF where he received a bone marrow transplant for AML on July 25th, 2012. Unfortunately, his cancer came back and he lost his battle with cancer on April 16, 2013. He was an extremely loving young boy who loved everything mechanical. He loved building things and loved cars, trucks, planes, and trains. He had a wonderful sense of humor and loved to play pranks and make people laugh. He will be forever missed by all who knew him. The family continues to honor his memory by running a nonprofit organization, Sweet Eats, which provides a fully stocked kitchen for families with children being treated on the oncology floor of Valley Children's.

https://sweeteatsprogram.org/

THE CANDIDATES:

CHRISTINE TRUONG

I, Christine Truong, have witnessed cancer affecting my family firsthand. My grandpa was diagnosed with Lymphoma in January of 2018 which was a total heart drop for my entire family. There had never been any signs as my grandpa is active, watches what he eats, and does doctor checkups regularly. My family doesn't have a history of cancer either. He started chemotherapy for eight cycles a few months later. After his treatments, he was in remission. Since 2024, he has been considered a cancer survivor! He continues to do checkups and CAT scans every six months. I have always looked up to my grandpa due to his perseverance and strength through this hard battle. My family and I are extremely grateful for the doctors and the ever-evolving technology. Sadly, many families don't experience this same outcome. This is why this cause is so important to me. I'm forever grateful to LLS for this opportunity.

HARVEEN BRAR

My grandma passed away due to Leukemia six years ago. She tried chemotherapy and had countless rounds of tests and trials, none of which helped. In the end, my family decided to spend as much time with her as possible. Her passing was tragic and unexpected. It is devastating to know that this experience is not unique. Thousands of others deal with this and have to go through the same heart breaking stages that my family did. I want to help raise money to support this cause because I truly believes that a preventative can be developed. The world of medicine is constantly changing with new evolutions in technology and health. I knows that we have the ability to make these situations become less common, so it would be an honor to help make it possible. 

We are interested in the Student Visionaries of the Year program because of how it was built: with a vision. Its message is truly uplifting and the goal of the program in itself is a worthy way to spend our time. We are both incredibly passionate about helping others and with this initiative we are able to offer our abilities to quite literally make a difference. It also is a very stimulating experience where we can both learn to properly lead a team, manufacture innovative ideas, and build life-long skills. It is a heart warming cause and has affected us both personally. Harveen’s grandma passed away from Leukemia five years ago and Christine’s grandpa battled Lymphoma six years ago. Her grandpa this year is considered cancer free, however, the journey to attain that level of health will always be present in his mind. Medical conditions deny people the privilege of living their lives to their full potential. We believe that it should not be a privilege, but a right. In short, we both are simply young minds who want to make a difference in the world. There is no better way to start than helping ensure the existence of this right.

ALL DONATIONS ARE 100% TAX DEDUCTIBLE

YOU MAY ALSO MAKE CHECKS OUT TO LEUKEMIA & LYMPHOMA SOCIETY

MEMO: CANCEL CANCER

7491 N REMINGTON AVE FRESNO CA, 93711

With heartful thanks,

Harveen Brar and Christine Truong