Iowa Hawkeyes Reveal 2024 Kid Captains, 3 From The Quad Cities

Who is ready for some Hawkeye football? I know I am ready to cheer on the Hawks and finally have football back in our lives.

There are also 12 kiddos who are not only ready to cheer on the Hawkeyes this fall but also be the Kid Captain at an upcoming game. These kids will be honored and a part of leading the Hawks into battle on the gridiron, but the battles they have faced have been far greater.

2024 Iowa Football Kid Captains Revealed

The University of Iowa Stead Family Children's Hospital has revealed the 12 Kid Captains for the 2024 Iowa Football season.

What began as a partnership between the University of Iowa Health Care Stead Family Children’s Hospital and the Iowa Hawkeyes in 2009, the Kid Captain program honors pediatric patients from the hospital by celebrating their amazing stories and bravery. The 2024 season marks the 15th season of the Kid Captain program.

There is a Kid Captain for every Iowa football game both home and away. This year’s Kid Captains were selected from 245 nominations from three states including Iowa, Illinois, and Nebraska.

Among the 12 Kid Captains selected, three are from the Quad Cities area and one kiddo is from southeastern Iowa. Meet your QCA Kid Captains:

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Aiden Washburn, 8, Keokuk, Iowa

Aiden will be honored on Sep. 21 for the Iowa at Minnesota game.

Aiden’s care at Stead Family Children’s Hospital began before he was born. At 23 weeks gestation, Aiden was diagnosed with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, a birth defect in which the left side of the heart—the side that pumps oxygen-rich blood to the rest of the body—severely underdeveloped. Within 24 hours of his birth, doctors took Aiden to his first open heart surgery. By the time he was a week old, Aiden would have a second surgery for his heart. Over the next 3 years, doctors would perform two additional surgeries on his heart with inpatient stays each time. Aiden is expected to need a heart transplant in the near future.

Hudson Ferris, 12, Eldridge, Iowa

Hudson will be honored on Oct. 10 for the Iowa at Michigan State game.

At 9 years old, Hudson experienced frequent pain and extreme fatigue. After some initial testing, his local pediatrician referred the family to Stead Family Children’s Hospital where he was diagnosed with stage 4 high-risk neuroblastoma. Doctors found a 6 cm tumor on Hudson’s vertebrae, as well as cancer throughout his body. Initially, treatment meant five cycles of chemotherapy and surgery to remove the tumor. Then, doctors at the children’s hospital connected Hudson and his family to an out-of-state hospital where he underwent back-to-back stem cell transplants after undergoing more high-dose chemotherapy. Hudson would return to Iowa City to complete his treatment with Stead Family Children’s Hospital. Overall, Hudson spent 18 months in treatment. His cancer has been in remission for more than a year.

Lukas Hazen, 12, Muscatine, Iowa

Lukas will be honored at the Iowa vs. Nebraska on Nov. 29.

Lukas Hazen’s parents were warned their son might not survive childbirth after prenatal ultrasounds detected multiple brain bleeds. Born early at their local hospital at 34 weeks, Lukas was transferred to University of Iowa Health Care Stead Family Children’s Hospital. He was diagnosed with neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia, a rare condition in which maternal-fetal platelet incompatibility leads to the mother’s body reacting to the pregnancy with antibodies, resulting in a low blood platelet count. Lukas was given double transfusions of platelets and blood and discharged five weeks later. His condition led to cerebral palsy, which affects his movement; cortical visual impairment, in which his brain cannot process what he sees; and serious seizures categorized as catastrophic infantile spasms. Lukas uses a wheelchair and assistive devices to help him communicate. He underwent hip reconstruction surgery and spinal fusion surgery to treat scoliosis, a sideways curvature of the spine, and regularly returns to Stead Family Children’s Hospital for checkups.   

Raelyn Miller-Ramirez, 9, Davenport, Iowa

Raelyn will be honored on Nov. 23 for the Iowa at Maryland game.

After Raelyn began to regularly lose her balance and an eye specialist detected an anomaly during a routine exam, the 6-year-old was diagnosed with medulloblastoma grade IV. This is a cancerous, fast-growing primary central nervous system tumor that begins in the brain or spinal cord. Still living in Oregon at the time, surgeons removed the tumor, but Raelyn lost her vision and developed posterior fossa syndrome and had to learn how to walk and talk again. After radiation treatment, Raelynn’s parents decided to move the family to Iowa and transfer her care to Stead Family Children’s Hospital, where Raelyn regularly sees specialists who have helped her learn to thrive. Regular scans have shown no cancer for four years.     

Go Hawks!