Every Sept. 14, the Oak Park community comes together to celebrate Luc Bodden Day. Luc was a student at Red Oak Elementary who sadly died from Sickle Cell Disease at the age of 10 in 2016. Luc would have been a senior at Oak Park High School this year. 

OPHS seniors Holden Heidt and Zoe Thompson have dedicated their time to volunteering and supporting this foundation. 

“To me, Luc Bodden Day is a day where we can all come together and commemorate the life of a young man who was able to show lots of us in the community selflessness, compassion and grit,”  senior Holden Heidt said. “This year, the focal point of the Luc Bodden Foundation and Luc Bodden Day is the word unity.”

In 2017 Luc’s parents started the Lucstrong Foundation which supports children and families of color battling Sickle Cell Disease. According to the website, “SCD occurs in about 1 out of every 365 African American births and about 1 out of every 16,300 Latino-American births. The only known cure for SCD is a Bone Marrow Transplant, in which the cost is extensive.”

Every year the foundation hosts an annual kickball tournament for people to volunteer and participate in to raise money in the fight against sickle cell disease. Uniting and collaborating with the foundation will impact many families in need. The Lucstrong Foundation has partnered with organizations like the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, City of Hope, Standford Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital and more. 

“If anyone wants to help support and spread awareness, they should go to https://www.lucstrong.org/,” Thompson said. “This way, they can donate and help support other families affected by Sickle Cell Disease.”

Another way of supporting the foundation is to purchase the book “MoonFlower,” written by OPHS alumnus JD Slajchert. JD is someone who Luc looked up to as a mentor and a friend.  The fiction novel, “Moonflower” is about giving back to a loved one and not taking anything for granted. All proceeds go to the LucStrong Foundation in hopes of finding a cure for Sickle Cell Disease. 

“To Luc that was love, friendship, family, food and the Dallas Cowboys. He was able to show an unconditional love that made people just want to be around him. Luc put others first, made others laugh, and was constantly there for a good time when he had every right not to,” Heidt said. “This would have been Luc’s senior year and I’m looking forward to walking the stage alongside him…Always remain #lucstrong.”