Leukemia patient, 7, raises $35,000

A 7-year-old aspiring chef who planned and then helped prepare a four-course meal as a fundraiser for the hospital where he is being treated for leukemia raised more than $35,000, his father said Tuesday.

The boy, Jack Witherspoon, will present a check Friday to the Jonathan Jaques Children’s Cancer Center at Miller Children’s Hospital in Long Beach, said his father, John.

Jack, who became interested in cooking by watching the Food Network while undergoing treatment at the hospital, helped serve about 300 people during the Dec. 5 dinner at the HT Grill in Redondo Beach.

-- Bob Pool