Camila loves to read and draw. In March 2014, doctors in Camila’s home country of Puerto Rico determined she suffered from osteosarcoma, a type of bone cancer. Her family traveled to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital for her treatment and care, which included chemotherapy and surgery to remove the tumor as well as part of the femur in her left leg.
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 is working to drive the overall survival rate for childhood cancer to 90%, and we won’t stop until no child dies from cancer.
We’re so grateful for everything at St. Jude.
During Camila’s stay at St. Jude, she was beyond thrilled when she got the opportunity to meet St. Jude supporter, and fellow Puerto Rican, Luis Fonsi.
“For us it was a wonderful experience,” said Camila’s mom, Roxane. “Camila was really excited and it was even more special because he's Puerto Rican just like us. Knowing that he supports St. Jude, which is our second home, is something that I will forever cherish.”
Today, Camila is finished with treatment and she returns to St. Jude for regular checkup appointments. This fall, Camila is in the eighth grade. “It hasn’t always been easy,” said Camila’s mom. “But we’re so grateful for everything St. Jude has done.”
Help our families focus on their sick child, not medical bills.
When you donate monthly, your gift means families, like Camila'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.
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Meet Londyn
When Londyn’s parents, Anthony and Kascie, learned she had acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a type of blood cancer, they turned to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital® for her care.
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Meet Janie
Janie has experienced a lot while undergoing treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Luckily she has her family — and St. Jude — to crawl with her every step of the way.
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Meet Iris
St. Jude patient Iris has always loved riding horses and wasn't going to let a brain tumor called craniopharyngioma stop her.
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Giving cancer a karate chop
St. Jude patient Zoë is kicking, punching and blocking her way through treatment for a rare brain tumor.
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Meet Charley
Charley led her college fundraising team for St. Jude just months before she became a patient there herself.
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Silly siblings
Griffin likes to play baseball and basketball with his twin brother, Graham, and their older siblings. But things weren’t all fun and games when Griffin’s family found out he had a rare type of cancer. They quickly turned to St. Jude for help.
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Meet Jace
Jace always has an ear-to-ear grin, even the midst of treatment for a spinal tumor.
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Kadie's proposal
Former patient Kadie had her life transformed by cancer. Little did she know that her future would be changed with a proposal at the place that saved her life.
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Braving the unknown
Eight-year-old Stella Grace and her family had been participating in St. Jude events for years. But when she became a patient, St. Jude took on a new meaning.
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A spunky supporter
Before Ellee and her family found themselves at St. Jude, she was raising money, one lap at a time, for kids just like her.
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Gideon is home for the holidays
Two-year-old Gideon will celebrate the holidays at home for the first time, after spending two Christmases at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital for treatment of stage 4, high-risk neuroblastoma.
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Super trouper
Dawson is a strong, athletic kid. On Super Bowl Sunday in 2016, his parents received news that would change their lives — Dawson had cancer.
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Meet Shekinah
Four-year-old Shekinah is full of cheer and playfulness, even in the midst of the discovery of a brain tumor in early 2017.
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Meet Nathan
In 2016, just 10 days after Nathan was born, he was found to have cancer. Instead of spending Christmas at home, they found themselves at St. Jude.
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Kate's letter to her future self
St. Jude patient Kate recently stepped into the spotlight when she announced a Chicago Bears' second-round draft pick during the NFL draft.
