Aaron-James and his sister, Kay-Leigh, have totally opposite personalities — he's on the shy side, while she dives right in. But the siblings have one thing in common: they both have sickle cell disease.
Aaron-James — A-J to his family — was diagnosed with sickle cell disease when his mom, Kay-Ann, was a Staff Sergeant in the Air Force. He soon began treatment at a hospital not far from where the family was stationed.
When A-J was 2 years old, Kay-Ann changed jobs. The family relocated and A-J became a patient of St. Jude in Memphis, Tenn.
Families, like Aaron-James', will never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food.
Not only did St. Jude launch the first major effort to understand the lifelong progression of sickle cell disease and has one of the largest sickle cell disease programs in the country, but families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food.
A-J is a reserved and observant little boy and can come off as shy — at first. But once he’s comfortable, he comes out of his shell.
He loves eating at the Kay Kafe (the dining area at St. Jude) and talking to the nurses and doctors. He's known as a little gentleman who likes giving compliments. He also loves dinosaurs and is great at identifying them.
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