Davenport 8-year-old to serve as Iowa Hawkeyes’ Kid Captain Saturday against Nevada

IOWA CITY, Iowa (KCRG) - The Iowa Hawkeyes will get a boost from the support of this week’s Kid Captain when they take on Nevada on Saturday.

The University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital announced Eve Jimenez, 8, of Davenport, will be this week’s Kid Captain.

The hospital said Eve survived a rare autoimmune disorder twice, once at the age of 4, and then again four years later.

The hospital said Eve was diagnosed with acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, a disorder in which the immune system attacks the brain. It’s a rare disorder that affects one in every 125,000 to 250,000 people.

The university announced Eve has chosen “Believer” by Imagine Dragons as the song for this week’s Hawkeye Wave.

The wave tradition began at Kinnick in 2017 and sees fans, athletes and coaches from both teams stop to wave at patients and their families inside the hospital.

For the past 13 college football seasons, the hospital has partnered with the Iowa Hawkeyes to pick kid captains to honor and celebrate their inspirational stories.

See Eve’s full profile here.

Copyright 2022 KCRG. All rights reserved.