BROOKHAVEN, Ga. — In a time of need for one 14-year-old boy diagnosed with cancer, a metro Atlanta community is showing its support by stepping up in a big way.
Boone Heaps was given a devastating diagnosis last week when doctors diagnosed him with Leukemia. The 14-year-old star in football and baseball exhibits toughness and grit on the field, but it's now the Brookhaven community who is helping the teenager cross the end zone in hopes he can defeat his battle with cancer.
That's because residents have stepped in and donated over $36,000 in an online fundraiser set up for Boone. Over the next month, he will undergo aggressive chemotherapy and outpatient treatment, in addition to years of treatment, which will cost the family a considerable amount of money.
Boone is a rising freshman at Chamblee High School and, when healthy again, plans to play football and baseball.
"The Heaps family has been a fixture of Murphey Candler Park in Brookhaven, serving on both the Football and Baseball sides in several capacities. Boone is an outstanding kid and 2023 recipient of the ACYA Chip Kovitch award as an exemplary model of sportsmanship, toughness and football skill," the fundraiser reads.
The fundraiser also said the money would support Boone's education while he misses school to undergo treatment.
The online fundraiser has a goal of $50,000. To donate, click the link here.