In January 2025, Tara and Kevin Bové found themselves making a drive no parent ever wants to make. For weeks, their four-year-old daughter Annabella had complained of pain in a specific spot on her arm. At first, doctors suspected ordinary childhood aches and pains. But Tara felt something wasn’t right. After multiple visits, she pushed for blood work.
The next morning, their pediatrician handed them a sheet of numbers and told them to go immediately to a children’s hospital emergency room. “I remember looking in the rearview mirror at Annabella in her car seat,” Kevin says. “And thinking, this is not good.” Two days later, doctors confirmed the diagnosis: B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (B-ALL), the most common form of childhood leukemia.
Today, Annabella is five years old and in the maintenance phase of treatment. She is back in school, making friends, and looking forward to first grade. Her story is still being written, and it is one of thousands that connect families across Texas through the difficult reality of pediatric blood cancer.
Blood Cancer United reports that blood cancers account for 40% of all pediatric cancers. Each diagnosis impacts more than just the patient. It affects entire families and even communities as they move into an altogether new reality. For many survivors, the lessons learned during treatment remain long after the treatments themselves end.
Now at 18, Carter Thompson remembers surprisingly little about his own leukemia treatment. Diagnosed at age five and in treatment until he was nearly nine, he says he remembers people more than procedures. “The people along the way were the ones that really impacted me,” Carter reflects. “I don’t wish that I’d never had cancer, but I think I talk to different kinds of people better now, and I don’t judge anyone for what they look like.”
That approach will come in handy as he heads to Texas A&M University. Meanwhile, Carter spends his time fishing, golfing, wakeboarding, and planning a future that includes owning his own business. Looking back, he believes cancer shaped the way he sees both people and life itself. “Nothing’s promised,” he says. “One day I was at a basketball game, and the next day I was in a hospital bed.”
Like Carter, 15-year-old Ella Navarette wants people to see more than a diagnosis. As a sophomore who loves volleyball, swimming, and spending time with friends, Ella describes herself as outgoing, energetic, and funny. Her mother, Lindsey Navarette, describes her succinctly: “She’s a light. She just loves life.”
Diagnosed at 13 with Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS), Ella approached treatment with a resilience that still amazes her family. One of Lindsey’s strongest memories came when chemotherapy began causing Ella’s long hair to fall out. After volleyball practice one day, it had become so tangled that there was no way to save it. Ella decided to shave her head. The very next weekend, she went to a volleyball tournament. “She just went and rocked her cute little bald head,” Lindsey remembers. “She was beautiful.”
Ella’s clearest memory of treatment matches her optimistic personality. “I remember the good times more than the bad,” she says thoughtfully. She remembers growing closer to her family, building relationships with doctors and nurses, and discovering a deeper appreciation for everyday life. “It taught me how lucky I am to be alive,” she emphasizes. “Every day, whether it’s good or bad, is still a gift.”
Halo Botha says overcoming Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma revealed a strength she didn’t know she had. “I am most proud of surviving cancer not only physically, but mentally as well,” she says. She recalls nurses reading to her during chemotherapy sessions and points to her family and friends as an invaluable support during her treatment. Halo plans to work in the medical field to help others as others have helped her. “I realized how strong I was when I was able to handle chemotherapy better than many people expected,” she reflects. “Even on difficult days, I was still able to move around, laugh, and stay positive.”
A similar desire to serve others drives Kenzie Nichols after surviving ovarian cancer at a young age. Now 15, Kenzie is part of Champion High School’s athletic training program and a healthcare-focused P-TECH pathway. Her long-term goal is even more specific: pediatric oncology nursing. After spending years around doctors and nurses, she wants to give back in the same way.
Kenzie remembers seeing other children finish treatment and ring the hospital bell, moments that gave her hope during her own journey. Today, she carries a perspective that helps her keep challenges in perspective. “Not everything is that big of a deal,” she says. “There’s been so many other things.” It’s a circular journey: the hope she received from others has now become the blueprint for her own career.
What emerges from each of these stories is a common theme: “I don’t want to be labeled as a cancer kid,” Carter notes. “I want to be known as being a hard-working kid who works for his dreams and goals.” Cancer does not define them.
Organizations like Blood Cancer United share the same vision for each child they encounter. Formerly known as the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Blood Cancer United has supported more than 80% of FDA-approved blood cancer treatments since 2017, according to Christine Martinez, local “Light The Night” Campaign Director. And a number of those discoveries reach beyond blood cancers. She says, “Many of the treatments that we research initially for blood cancers go on to help other types of cancers and diseases as well.” Last year alone, Blood Cancer United served 1,962 patients across South Central Texas through patient support programs, advocacy, education, and financial assistance.
One of the organization’s most visible local efforts is “Light The Night,” which celebrates the resilience we see in each child’s story. This annual community walk brings together survivors, patients, caregivers, healthcare professionals, and supporters to carry red lanterns in support of current patients, gold lanterns in memory of loved ones lost, and white lanterns representing survivors and patients. “It’s so much more than a walk,” Martinez emphasizes. “It truly is a community event.”
For the Bové family, that spirit of community became intensely personal. As owners and publishers of Boerne Lifestyle, Tara and Kevin are accustomed to telling other people’s stories. This year, however, they found themselves living one.
As Annabella returned to school after a long absence, she feared something that had almost nothing to do with her treatments and tests. The week before classes started, she told her dad that she didn’t want to go back. “I hate my head,” she remembers saying. “I have no hair. They’re going to think I’m a boy.”
A gathering with future classmates helped ease her fears, but on her first day back, another child pointed at her and called her a boy. That’s when a classmate named George courageously stepped in and defended her. Later that day, Annabella announced she would marry him. She has since changed her mind, but the story serves as a reminder that children are often so quick to care. That compassionate spirit is what families, survivors, and organizations like Blood Cancer United hope to nurture.
From that scary drive to the emergency room to her first day of kindergarten, Annabella’s journey highlights that while the diagnosis was a chapter, it doesn't define the story. It’s the support from friends, family, and community that becomes the anchor we hold on to as we overcome.
“It taught me how lucky I am to be alive. Every day, whether it’s good or bad, is still a gift.” —Ella Navarette
Join Annabella as this year’s “Pediatric Honored Hero” for “Light The Night” on October 10, 2026, at The Rock at La Cantera. This annual walk brings together survivors, patients, caregivers, and supporters for a powerful evening of unity. Millions of dollars have been raised through this event over the years, all of it ensuring families continue to receive vital patient advocacy and financial assistance in their time of need. Join the movement to help create more memories for patients and their families. Get involved at lightthenight.org/events/san-antonio.