Ace's Dream

Ace Culpepper is a 17-year-old from Leesburg, VA who experienced the isolation and uncertainty of 2020 to a degree the average person cannot relate to. He was diagnosed with High-Risk B-Cell ALL (Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia) early in the year and ultimately received a bone marrow transplant during the summer of 2020. Throughout the most challenging year of his life, he remained the kind, respectful, and humble kid his mom and younger brother had always known. When talking about all he endured, he made sure to say that “other kids had it worse”.

After his cancer diagnosis, Ace began to receive chemotherapy treatments. His body was not responding as the doctors thought he would, and they discovered that he was Philadelphia Chromosome Positive. This genetic abnormality meant that the usual treatment would not work and he would need a Bone Marrow Transplant. None of his family members was a match, and he was put on a donor list. Ultimately, he received donated bone marrow from a woman in the UK who turned out to be a 10/10 match for Ace.

Ace loves video games, DC comics, and most of all, everything basketball. His ultimate sports dream is to attend the NBA All-Star Weekend. He chose this dream because he would love the chance to see all of the best of basketball come together for one weekend. The thought of potentially attending the All-Star Weekend – who he might meet, where he might travel – got him through his recovery from the Bone Marrow Transplant. Will you help us make a dream come true for this deserving NBA fan?