Slajchert is slated to deliver a speech in support of the LucStrong Foundation at Oak Park’s graduation ceremony Thursday.
JD Slajchert went out for pizza after every basketball game during his playing career at Oak Park High School. And he was always joined by his biggest and youngest fan, Luc Bodden, who was living with sickle cell disease.
“The main theme I touch on and I’ve learned about myself is this idea of the purity that children have,” Slajchert said. “When we meet these people that are so full of life, so bright, have so much hope, we have to protect them.” The disease left Bodden unable to attend large or professional sporting events far from home, so Oak Park basketball became a bright spot in his life. Slajchert, who was the 2013 Tri-Valley League Most Valuable Player, was Bodden’s favorite player and a long-lasting friendship was formed when the two played basketball together prior to a bone marrow transplant.
He penned his first book, Moonflower, based on his experience with Bodden. It’s fiction, but follows a coming-of-age story arc similar to what Slajchert experienced in his own life.
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