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Meet Felicity

With a diagnosis of 5 tumors in her brain and spine, Felicity is facing a struggle, but you wouldn't know it by the constant smile on her face.

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St. Jude patient Felicity smiling in her holiday outfit while sitting in a hospital bed at St. Jude
 
 

Most babies love to smile and cuddle and play, but Felicity is one of the happiest babies you’ll ever meet. She's special, and her name matches her personality to a T.

Medically, she’s nearly unique.

“We went to our pediatrician for her four-month checkup,” recalled her mother, Mandy. “Being a first-time mommy, I was so scared about getting her shots.”

St. Jude patient Felicity with her parents

St. Jude patient Felicity with her parents

 
 
  1. But the family was in for something much scarier.

    Felicity’s pediatrician suspected she might have a condition that causes fluid build up inside the brain — known as hydrocephalus — and ordered an ultrasound, which led to a CT scan, which led to a stay in the pediatric intensive care unit.

    Felicity's family was given the news that a giant cyst was pushing Felicity’s brain aside, essentially mashing it into her skull.

    And this still wasn’t the worst news.

    St. Jude patient Felicity

    Felicity had a total of five brain and spinal tumors called desmoplastic infantile astrocytoma: not cancer, but aggressive and deadly all the same.

    The family sought a referral to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and arrived on Father’s Day 2017.

    Her diagnosis is immensely rare.

    Her doctor said he's never treated a case like hers ever at St. Jude, and neither has any other doctor.

    Mandy, Felicity's mom

    St. Jude patient Felicity with her family

    But St. Jude is leading the way the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. Felicity’s doctors quickly came up with a plan.

    Felicity received several different chemotherapies that succeeded in shrinking her tumors. She also received supportive care, like physical, occupational and speech therapies, and lots and lots of love.

    Her parents have been able to take their happy baby home, but St. Jude continues to monitor her closely, and she returns often for checkups and scans.

    St. Jude patient Felicity with her mom, Mandy

    St. Jude patient Felicity with her mom, Mandy

    Felicity almost shares a birthday with St. Jude founder Danny Thomas.

    While she was in treatment, clinic staff celebrated her first birthday on the same day they commemorated Danny Thomas’s birth (Jan. 6), to her family’s delight. 

    a bust of St. Jude founder Danny Thomas, who Felicity shares a birthday with (January 6)

    The bust of St. Jude founder Danny Thomas, who Felicity shares a birthday with (January 6)

    St. Jude is ... well, it's become our second home. It's the best thing that could have happened to us in this situation. If we had chosen not to come here, I don't feel Felicity would be with us today. I don't even have the words to say what I want to say, because it makes me teary-eyed.

    Mandy, Felicity's mom

    St. Jude patient Felicity

    St. Jude patient Felicity in 2020

 
 

Your donation can help give families:

  • Lifesaving care and treatment for their child.
  • The comforts of home: meals, lodging and more.
  • Toys and games so that patients can feel like kids.

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Feliciy with her parents

St. Jude patient Felicity with her family

 
 

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