Howard County Teenager to Put His “Speedrunning” Skills For Kids

COLUMBIA, Md. -- While most teenagers are having fun at the pool, the beaches or summer camps, one young adult is taking time to raise money, in a special way, to help in the fight against pediatric leukemia.

For the second time in seven months, Theodore “Theo” Lazarou, 18, will use his gaming skills to procure funds for the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center to provide financial assistance for critical treatments and medical research for pediatric leukemia at the well renowned academic medical center.

For the summer, Lazarou has been working several hours per week as a pool lifeguard and is getting ready to attend college in a couple of months. His schedule is packed, but that doesn’t mean he can’t make time to help in the search for a cure via his favorite hobby.

“I understand that many people are working hard and are trying to save their money for family trips, vacations, and other things, especially after the COVID summer of 2020, “said Lazarou. “However, all donations are needed and if you can’t donate that’s okay. All I am asking is that you spread the word via your personal social media accounts. Together, we can do our part to help find a cure for this disease and help kids live longer. “

Staring at 9 am this Saturday (June 26), under the moniker @HexSpeedruns, Lazarou will be Speedrunning a “602 race,” a 24-hour Super Mario themed event, on the popular live streaming platform known as Twitch. Speedrunning, a popular form of entertainment in the gaming community, involves players trying to break records by finishing games in as little time as possible, often using glitches in a game's code and advanced techniques to skip ahead.

Back in November, during the Thanksgiving Day holiday break from school, Theo raised close to $1,000 for the Johns Hopkins Children's Center. Now he’s established a modest goal of $500 but knows that every little bit of financial resources can help bring the scientific research community closer to a cure for pediatric leukemia.

“I am really excited to do this again and I know with the support of my family, friends here at home and from school along with the gaming community, I know this can be done, “said Lazarou. “It is important as this is for the kids!”

Anyone who is interested in donating can do so by visiting https://bit.ly/2SlaZcw or to view any and all parts of the 24-hour livestream go on Twitch at http://twitch.tv/HexSpeedruns