Tag Archives: Leukemia

Minnesota Boy Uses His “Make-A-Wish” To Feed Others Via Food Truck

A 12-year-old boy who has overcome leukemia was offered anything he wanted by the Make-A-Wish foundation.

His wish?  To take a food truck around his community and feed those who helped him during his fight against the disease.

Lucas Hobbs came up with the idea while at Minneapolis Children’s hospital during a time when it was hard for him to eat.  He watched a movie called “Chef” about a father and son who operated a food truck and it spurred his idea to feed others.

“When I was sick, people brought me food from our church, and it was really nice of them,” Lucas told the news outlet. “It kinda got me thinking about my Make-A-Wish, so I asked my parents if I could use my wish to help others.”

Make-A-Wish contacted the Minnesota Food Truck Association and together planned a five-stop tour for Lucas including  a homeless shelter, senior center, church and the Minneapolis Police Department.

“The fact that there is somebody, anybody, much less a 12-year-old, that is so willing to give outward,” John Elder, a spokesman for the Minneapolis Police Department, told the StarTribune. “I was honored on behalf of the department to help facilitate it.”

Lucas says he plans to continue to serve food to the community through a food truck.

“I don’t know what to say, but it makes me feel really, really happy for what i’m doing,” Lucas told KARE 11.

Major Chinese City Declares Tap Water Toxic

A major city in western China is in a panic after government officials said the tap water in the city is toxic.

Government officials in Lanzhou say that excessive levels of benzene have been found in the water system.  The amount of benzene is reportedly 20 times the acceptable limit to not be a toxic threat to someone who consumes it.

Benzene has been linked to leukemia and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

“Consuming foods or fluids contaminated with high levels of benzene can cause vomiting, stomach irritation, dizziness, sleepiness, convulsions, and rapid heart rate. In extreme cases, inhaling or swallowing very high levels of benzene can be deadly,” the American Cancer Society said.

Lanzhou is a city of 2.5 million people and witnesses report panicked residents flooding into stores to stock up on bottled water.

Chinese officials would not name a source for the toxic levels of the chemical in the water but a source inside the government told the Daily Telegraph that there was a spill from an unnamed chemical plant.

A 2012 study found that 60 percent of the groundwater in China is “heavily polluted.”