When Alex was just 3 years old, tests revealed he suffered from neuroblastoma, a type of solid tumor. The family traveled to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, where Alex underwent surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
“St. Jude gave us hope,” said his mom, Cristina.
In January of 2016, when he was 8 years old, Alex’s cancer returned. The family came back to St. Jude, where his treatment will include chemotherapy, radiation therapy and a bone marrow transplant.
“St. Jude has been a tremendous blessing for us,” Cristina explained.
Treatments invented at St. Jude have helped push the overall childhood cancer survival rate from 20% to more than 80% since it opened more than 50 years ago.
St. Jude has given my son a second chance at life.
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Meet Luna
When St. Jude patient Luna started to feel sick, her parents became concerned. Doctors in Guatemala confirmed what her parents had feared: Luna had leukemia.
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Meet Jamelia
At 4 years old, Jamelia felt bad and saw blood in her urine. Diagnosed with renal cell cancer, she was referred to St. Jude for treatment including proton therapy.
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Meet Eduardo
At 6 months old, Eduardo was referred to St. Jude where he was diagnosed with liver cancer. His treatment included surgery to remove the mass and chemotherapy.
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Meet patient Natalie
Natalie seemed like a healthy toddler. But one day, she stopped using her left arm. She had Stage IV neuroblastoma and was referred to St. Jude for treatment.
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Meet Bella
Originally from India, patient Bella was referred to St. Jude after surgery to remove a brain tumor. Today, thanks to proton therapy, she's thriving.
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Meet Charlie
Diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma in his shoulder, Charlie was referred to St. Jude then underwent chemotherapy and surgery to replace a cancerous bone with titanium.
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Meet Patient Lucas
Around Thanksgiving of 2020, three-year-old Lucas was complaining of headaches. His parents thought he just wanted attention. An MRI indicated something more serious.
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Meet Chance
Chance was diagnosed with metastatic medulloblastoma. After surgery, referred to St. Jude, he received chemotherapy and proton therapy treatments to his brain and spine.
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Meet Sariyah
In the summer of 2020, photos taken of St. Jude patient Sariyah by her mother showed signs of cancerous tumors in both eyes at the age of 18 months.
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Meet our patient Emma
Tests revealed that Emma had a mass on her brain. A biopsy led to a referral to St. Jude where she was diagnosed with ATRT, a rare form of brain cancer.
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Meet Jazzy
Jazzy is a playful person who loves going to the beach with her dogs. When she was diagnosed with brain cancer, her family turned to St. Jude for help.
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Meet Alana
Alana didn't let a cancer diagnosis get in the way of her dreams for the future. Neither did St. Jude.
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Meet Braxton
Braxton was discovered to have a brain tumor at just 6 weeks old, with more scary news to follow. But St. Jude has given this family a lot to look forward to.
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Meet Smyrna
Smyrna is a teenager who has plenty of hobbies. Even with a diagnosis of medulloblastoma, she's determined to continue the active life she leads.
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Meet Eri'Elle
Eri’Elle was just two years old when her troubles started. Her mother took her to a pediatrician and insisted they run tests to get to the bottom of her baby’s symptoms.