Belle was just a baby when, in early 2018, a pea-sized lump on her cheek grew so large she couldn’t breathe out of her right nostril or see fully out of her right eye.
At St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, doctors identified the mass as a desmoid tumor, an aggressive, noncancerous tumor.
Belle’s parents, Andrea and Charles, were devastated, but they knew St. Jude was the best place for Belle to be. “The first day we set foot in the hospital, I felt a sense of relief,” Andrea said. “I thought, I can handle this with this kind of support and care for Belle.”
St. Jude patient Belle with her mom and dad
At St. Jude, Belle underwent surgery to remove the tumor. “I was expecting the worst,” said Andrea. “But you can’t tell by looking at Belle that anything happened to her. St. Jude really preserved her quality of life.”
Andrea describes Belle, who is now 2 years old, as the life of the party, a friendly, outgoing girl full of spunk.
“I can’t thank St. Jude enough for what they’ve done for Belle,” she said. “Most importantly, they provided the medical care she needed at no cost to our family.” Families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing, or food – because all a family should worry about is helping their child live.
St. Jude patient Belle with her mom, Andrea
Belle visits St. Jude for regular checkups. She loves to sing and dance and play with her baby sister.
“We couldn’t be more proud of the baby she was when we first came to St. Jude, and the toddler she’s grown to be,” said Andrea.
Help our families focus on their sick child, not medical bills.
When you donate, your gift means families, like Belle's, never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food — because all a family should worry about is helping their child live.
Meet more patients
-
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.
-
Meet patient Jacob
Jacob had frequent headaches and wasn’t himself. Diagnosed with leukemia, he was referred to St. Jude for treatment including chemotherapy to try and save his life.
-
Meet Levi
Levi was found to have acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and was quickly referred to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital where he began chemotherapy.
-
Meet Alfredo
It started when Alfredo had unexplained bruises and a constant fever. A local doctor who called for bloodwork and results confirmed that he had leukemia.
-
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.
-
Meet Griffin
As an Air Force family stationed abroad, Griffin’s family was living in Germany when he was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia on Veteran’s Day 2019.
-
Meet Krew
What started out as a seemingly innocent bump on the head was later heartbreakingly revealed as cancer. Krew was diagnosed with leukemia at just 7 months old.
-
Meet Jean Pierre
At 18, Jean Pierre is headed to university. At three years old, he was treated at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital® for craniopharyngioma, a slow-growing brain tumor.
-
Meet Ava
Five-year-old Ava had a cancerous brain tumor called medulloblastoma. Referred to St. Jude, she underwent a second surgery, proton therapy and chemotherapy.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
Meet Scarlet
At St. Jude, Scarlet and her mom lived at Target House for half a year while Scarlet was in treatment for acute myeloid leukemia. Her family never received a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food. .
-
Meet Gabe
When the lights on the Christmas tree hurt Gabe’s eyes, his mom knew something was wrong.
-
Meet Calvin
At St. Jude, Calvin underwent chemotherapy, proton therapy and radiation treatments for rhabdomyosarcoma, a cancer of the soft tissue. He continues to receive treatment at St. Jude, having experienced a recurrence of cancer in 2020.