Cooper Estenson found out he would be an Iowa football Kid Captain on April 24. That same date a year later, the 11-year-old will ring the bell at the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital, announcing an end to his stage of treatment for lymphoblastic T-cell leukemia.

In November of 2021, a then-9-year-old Estenson developed a pale complexion and began experiencing fatigue, nausea, and headaches. He would later undergo testing at UIHC that December and be diagnosed with leukemia. 

Taking two high-dose steroids as part of his initial treatment, Estenson was placed in the pediatric ICU for two weeks in 2021 as the steroids induced side effects to his liver and kidneys.  

A typical day of treatment for Estenson looks much different now than it did when he was first diagnosed. He regularly gives blood and then goes through scheduled chemotherapy, but in the beginning, this was not always a given. Some days the family would go to the hospital optimistic that Estenson would receive chemo, but he was not always healthy enough to receive it that day.

“That was always really frustrating because you just want to put it behind you, but everybody [at the children’s hospital] has always been amazing and fun,” Estenson’s mother, Kim Pederson, said. “It’s not a bad thing to sit through anymore.”

Estenson’s most recent hospitalization was in August 2022. The family is both grateful and sad they won’t see the staff in the hospital they grew to love, Estenson’s father, Mike Estenson, said.

The song Estenson chose for his Kid Captain Song is “Titanium,” by David Guetta, featuring Sia. He chose this song because it describes his experience with cancer and his endurance amidst struggle. His mom even played the song for Estenson on the way home from his first discharge from
the hospital. 

“During hard times when it was hard to push through, I just kept my head up and fought through it,” Estenson said. 

The Estensons also went to Crossover at Kinnick and Kids’ Day at Kinnick, where Estenson met his favorite Hawkeye football player, second-year running back
Kaleb Johnson. 

While Estenson has never actually seen The Wave during a game, the family did orchestrate a personal wave when he was in the hospital during the football offseason. The family contacted distant relatives, friends, kids from Estenson’s school, and even first responders in Iowa City and
Johnson County. 

The group gathered on the south side of Kinnick Stadium to wave up at the hospital at Estenson and his immediate family to show their support. 

Estenson also attended Dance Marathon in 2022 at both Iowa and Iowa State, as his sister, Grace, is the director of Dance Marathon for the Iowa State chapter. 

“I got to meet college students, talk about my journey through leukemia, and tell them what I like doing in my time not at the hospital,” Estenson said. 

Estenson played football himself before he was diagnosed, but he cannot continue during treatment because of the high contact. He played both running back and quarterback and is hoping to get back into the sport in the future. In the meantime, he now plays basketball and golf. 

Even while having to suspend playing football and facing side effects from his treatment, Estenson stayed positive throughout the journey and continued to bring joy on the hardest of days, Pederson said.

“He’s absolutely hilarious and always happy and in a good mood,” she said. “He would do anything to make anybody laugh.”