Esmeralda is a playful, sweet girl who loves dolls and princesses. When she was diagnosed with Wilms tumor, a type of kidney cancer, her family traveled to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
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.
St. Jude is a miracle. It’s truly a blessing here because of the way we are helped and the way we’re taken care of.
At St. Jude, Esmeralda’s treatment included chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Unfortunately, Esmeralda’s cancer returned in December 2016, and she is currently undergoing additional treatment at St. Jude.
“St. Jude is a miracle,” said Esmeralda’s mother. “It’s truly a blessing here because of the way we are helped and the way we’re taken care of.”
Editor's note: We regret to inform you that Esmeralda lost her battle in March 2018.
September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month
Let's end childhood cancer. Together.
Join us for a St. Jude Walk/Run to End Childhood Cancer.
Meet more patients
-
Meet Ashley
When tests revealed Ashley suffered from blood cancer, her parents were devastated. “Your whole world comes crashing down on you,” said Ashley’s dad.
-
Meet Da'Maya
Da'Maya's initial symptoms seemed minor. But after her mom, Sywanda, noticed she seemed sleepy in church, she became worried. A biopsy revealed cancer.
-
Meet Jordyn
A competitive gymnast, Jordyn's aches and pains were thought to be a sports injury. Then, she was found to have blood cancer.
-
Meet Nicole
When tests showed Nicole had acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a type of blood cancer, she was referred to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
-
Meet Keeton
Five-year-old Keeton hasn’t let cancer slow him down. Find out what St. Jude means to Keeton's family.
-
Meet Tony
Tony wasn’t quite a year old when his family learned he had ALL, a type of blood cancer. At St. Jude, he began chemotherapy immediately.
-
Meet Brantley
Brantley is a playful little boy who is being treated at St. Jude for a type brain tumor called an anaplastic astrocytoma.
-
Meet Aubrey
When dancer Aubrey had trouble remembering her steps, her parents became concerned. After an MRI revealed she had brain cancer, she was referred to St. Jude.
-
Meet Myra
Myra was experiencing severe headaches, and it was discovered to be a rare form of lymphoma called primary CNS ALCL.
-
Meet Damien
For several months, Damien was unwell. But when he started to lose his balance and experience headaches, his parents worried that it was something more serious.
-
Meet Rylee
Rylee is an outgoing girl. When she started to complain that her left leg hurt, an MRI revealed a mass on her femur. Rylee is receiving lifesaving treatment at St. Jude.
-
Meet Karique
As he undergoes treatment for retinoblastoma, Karique and his family have been on a difficult journey that's taken them from Antigua to St. Jude.
-
Meet Bailey
St. Jude patient Bailey surprises St. Jude Childhood Cancer Awareness Month ambassador and actress Lucy Hale.
