She survived leukemia as an infant. Now 17-year-old Cool Kid Amanda Lopez raises money for /*Childrens Hospital Los Angeles*/.
"Being able to give back means even more. Because I could just say 'thank you' and live my life," said Amanda. "But I always want to find a way to give back."
With her friend Angelica Perez, Amanda went to their school, /*Bishop Alemany High School*/, to raise funds.
"We could have chosen something else, but we were both affected by it, with me being a survivor and her losing her sister," said Amanda. "We wanted something meaningful to us and most importantly we wanted to raise awareness about cancer at our school."
To make the presentation more personal, Amanda sought out the doctor who treated her when she was so young.
"Eight years since she's been to Childrens Hospital and she wants to do this for our families and to advance Leukemia research," said Amanda's doctor, Dr. Thomas Hofstra. "That, to me, touches my heart. She's an amazing young lady."
Even with college possibly taking her far from L.A., Amanda is committed to continuing her work.
"Definitely, I would want to continue next year to somehow make up a fund to bring back to Children's of Los Angeles," said Amanda. "Whether I go to Hawaii or whatever, I'm bringing it back home because this is the hospital that helped me."
Amanda Lopez is our Cool Kid, because she's thankful for those who helped her in the past, but she's happy about a future helping others.
