When he was 5 years old, DJ developed a fever that none of the antibiotics prescribed by his pediatrician could clear. Then, when he began to experience pain in his legs inhibiting his ability to walk, his mother rushed him to a local children's hospital where tests revealed he was suffering from acute lymphoblastic leukemia, the most common form of childhood cancer.  He was sent to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital where, for three years, he received chemotherapy and radiation to combat the cancer. Today, DJ is cancer-free and dreams of growing up to become a chef.

 

March 2009