Eldridge boy is Hawkeyes’ Kid Captain

A 12-year-old boy from Eldridge who was diagnosed with cancer is the Hawkeyes Kid Captain of the Week.

Our Quad Cities News Photojournalist Mike Colón spoke with Hudson Ferris’s mother, Traci Ferris, who shared how doctors discovered Hudson was ill.

“He was nine years old. we were on vacation for spring break in Florida,” Traci Ferris said. “And Hudson just did not feel good. so I told my husband when we got home, we were getting to the bottom of this.”

So they took Hudson to a doctor. “They sent us for blood work, which did not look good, and then on for additional testing,” she said. “It took a couple of days to really figure out what was going on with Hudson, but he was ultimately diagnosed with Stage Four neuroblastoma. Our world was shattered, and we had no idea what was ahead of us, but we were bound and determined that we were going to fight as hard as we could, and we did.”

“He is so tough,” she said. “You hate to see any kid have to go through this. But Hudson managed his treatment like a champ.”

University of Iowa Health Care Stead Family Children’s Hospital doctors, nurses and staff became like a family, Ferris said, who calls them “absolutely amazing.”

“We went out for Kids Day at Kinnick, and got the behind-the-scenes tour and spent lots of time with the team and the coach. Honestly, it was the absolute best day. It was really cool to go out in the field and see and just see all the people there, the players, and they were super happy to meet all the Kid Captains. They signed autographs, they took pictures, they did whatever we asked, and it made my heart just so happy.”

Hudson saw The Wave. “Yeah, that’s really cool that they’re all looking at you,” he said. “They’re just like, probably, like a million people.”

Hudson’s now 12, and has been cancer-free for a year. He looks forward to pursuing his dream of becoming a welder.

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