A 6-year-old girl from the Boerne area who was diagnosed with a fast-growing blood cancer at age 4 has been named the pediatric honored hero for this year's San Antonio Light the Night walk. Annabella Bove has endured multiple hospital stays and rounds of chemotherapy since her diagnosis with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and she is now in the maintenance phase of a treatment plan that will continue through April 2027.
Annabella's parents, Tara and Kevin Bove, first noticed something was wrong when their daughter's personality abruptly changed, her face took on a different color, and she began complaining of arm pain, according to KSAT. When they requested blood work, the results showed she was very sick. B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia starts in the bone marrow and causes the body to produce too many immature white blood cells, crowding out healthy ones.
Tara Bove is connected to Boerne Lifestyle magazine. Tara described Annabella as outgoing, friendly and energetic, the station's report notes, and Kevin said the family plans to share its testimony to help other people facing similar diagnoses.
A Kindergarten Class Sings for Her Through Treatment
Annabella's own school has become one of her biggest support systems. Fair Oaks Ranch Elementary, part of the Boerne Independent School District, formed a fundraising team called Sing a Little Louder for Annabella in her honor, per the same account. Students plan to sing during her hospital treatments using toy microphones.
Fair Oaks Ranch Elementary sits within a district that serves more than 11,000 students across Kendall, Comal and Bexar counties in the Texas Hill Country, according to Boerne Independent School District, one of the fastest-growing districts in the region. That scale helps explain how quickly a classroom tribute for one child has turned into a broader community effort.
Diagnosis Fits a Well-Documented Pattern in Young Children
Annabella's age at diagnosis is not unusual for this disease. Acute lymphoblastic leukemia is the most common cancer diagnosed in children, accounting for roughly 75% of pediatric leukemia cases, and it peaks in incidence between ages 2 and 5, according to the American Cancer Society. Federal health surveillance data separately show that pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia accounts for roughly 20% of all cancer diagnoses in Americans under age 20, with higher incidence rates recorded among Hispanic youth, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Blood Cancer United provided support to the Bove family and conducted research that helped medical professionals create Annabella's two-and-a-half-year treatment plan, which KSAT reports carries a 90% to 95% cure rate. That success rate reflects decades of medical progress: the five-year relative survival rate for pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia has climbed from under 10% in the 1960s to over 90% today, thanks to advances in multi-agent chemotherapy regimens and collaborative clinical trials, according to the Children's Oncology Group. Standard protocols for the disease span two to three years and move through induction, consolidation and an extended outpatient maintenance phase, which is the stage Annabella is currently in.
Walk Set for The Rock at La Cantera
The Bove family describes itself as faithful believers in God and has become an advocate for other families affected by blood cancer, inviting the public to donate to blood cancer research as Annabella's story reaches a wider audience. The 2026 San Antonio Light the Night walk is scheduled for Saturday at The Rock at La Cantera, with organizers setting a regional fundraising goal of $750,000, according to Blood Cancer United.
Participants at the walk carry illuminated lanterns in three colors — white for patients and survivors, red for supporters, and gold in memory of those lost to blood cancer — a tradition the organization says adds visual meaning to the event. Blood Cancer United, formerly known as The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society before its August 2025 rebrand, has invested more than $2 billion in blood cancer research and patient services globally since it was founded in 1949, making it the world's largest voluntary health agency focused on the disease.
For the Bove family, Saturday's walk is both a milestone and a continuation of a journey that still has months to go. Annabella remains in maintenance therapy, with her treatment plan set to run through April 2027, even as she takes on her new role as the face of a fundraising campaign meant to help other families facing the same diagnosis.
