Young Arizona inventor who wowed Obama at science fair diagnosed with schizophrenia

PHOENIX — A young Arizona inventor who stunned former President Barack Obama with his science project is raising money after being diagnosed with schizophrenia.

(GoFundMe Photo)

Joey Hudy, 20, from New River, attended the White House Science Fair in 2012, and wowed the president with his project, called the Extreme Marshmallow Cannon.

According to a GoFundMe page, Hudy’s sister, Elizabeth, is raising money after her brother was diagnosed with schizophrenia.

In the post, Elizabeth said her brother was diagnosed with the disease in January, after spending two weeks in psychiatric hospital in Hong Kong.

He was then transferred to a treatment facility in Ohio, before going to a long-term facility in Tennessee.

“This will be a very long process for our family as this is a life long diagnosis that will require constant care, treatment and attention,” part of the post reads.

“I am aware of the financial toll this has had on my family and I am hoping that you can help lessen the burden of this unforeseen financial hardship.”

The page is asking for $50,000 for the mental health treatment and, as of Thursday, had raised more than $30,000.

Joey Hudy was one of 100 students to attend the White House Science Fair that year and was the first to present his invention to Obama.

“I didn’t really picture I would end up like this, so I thought it was pretty amazing,” he told Cronkite News at the time, adding the experience was “kind of scary and fun at the same time.”

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