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 Abraham
After a CT scan revealed Abraham had a mass on his brain, identified as a cancerous brain tumor called a medulloblastoma, his family turned to St. Jude for help.
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Meet Tina
Tina was referred to St. Jude after she was found to have a brain tumor. St. Jude has given her family hope.
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Meet Brieanna
Brieanna was an adventurous girl who loved to spend her time outdoors.
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Meet Mayela
Mayela is an extrovert who loves to play and have fun. She recently finished treatment for acute myeloid leukemia.
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Meet Kaitlyn
Kaitlyn first came to St. Jude at just over a year old when she was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma, a soft tissue cancer. Despite all she’s been through, her smile shines bright.
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Meet patient Lillian (Lily)
Lillian (Lily) and her sister, Emmy, are inseparable, and always on the move. St. Jude is keeping them that way.
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Meet St. Jude Patient Farouk
Farouk was a healthy baby, but something seemed wrong with his eyes. His parents, Hussam and Linda, were Syrian refugees living in Jordan when they learned Farouk had a type of eye cancer called retinoblastoma.
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Meet Eleanor
Eleanor is a determined baby who arrived at St. Jude on her first birthday. She was diagnosed with down syndrome and acute myeloid leukemia, a type of blood cancer.
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Meet Mia
Mia is a friendly, caring child who was referred to St. Jude from her home country of Nicaragua when she was 5 years old. She was diagnosed with anaplastic ependymoma, a malignant tumor in her brain.
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Meet Marina
Marina is a joyful 2-year-old who loves to laugh and dance with her siblings. She was referred to St. Jude after a white glimmer in her pupil led to her being diagnosed with retinoblastoma, an eye cancer.
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Meet Harmony
Harmony is artistic, detailed-oriented and loves to debate. When she noticed something was wrong on her walks to class, no one expected the cause to be a stage four Wilms tumor.
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Meet Colton
Colton is a 9-year-old boy who's used to being active in every area of life. And while an aggresive form of kidney cancer might have threatened that, St. Jude was right by his side.
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Meet Ashtyn
When Ashtyn’s family learned she had a type of cancerous brain tumor called a medulloblastoma, they turned to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
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Meet Maelin-Kate
Maelin-Kate was diagnosed with a rare blood disease at age 5, but her mom says, "Every day, she finds a reason why it's the best day ever."
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Meet Pepe
Pepe and his family have known cancer more intimately than most families. Watch their journey in this 4-part series, and how they found hope through it all.