A family of heroes

Ingram began fighting cancer when he was only 3 years old. Now he’s 6 and training to run a 5K. Little Ingram can already run a mile in less than ten minutes. And he’s got his family by his side, every step of the way.

Ingram's journey began in March 2012, when he experienced a string of terrible headaches, sometimes accompanied by vomiting. The pediatrician at first thought these were sinus headaches, then wondered if Ingram suffered from migraines. A CT scan was ordered simply as a precautionary measure, to rule out anything more serious.

Later that day, Ingram’s family was devastated to learn he suffered from a type of brain tumor called anaplastic ependymoma. They turned to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital for help, where Ingram’s treatment included chemotherapy and radiation therapy.

St. Jude is working to drive the overall survival rate for childhood cancer to 90 percent, and we won’t stop until no child dies from cancer.

Today, Ingram is done with treatment and visits St. Jude for regular checkups. He is in the first grade and was thrilled to see his friends again when school started this year. Ingram loves swimming and soccer, and tried his hand at baseball last spring.

Ingram’s family has participated in the St. Jude Memphis Marathon Weekend three times since Ingram began treatment. Many family members have run in different events, and all were enthusiastic fundraisers for the hospital that saved Ingram’s life. Days before the 2014 event, Team Ingram had already raised a whopping $100,000, and immeasurable awareness, for St. Jude.

This year, Ingram, his mom, dad and sisters will run the 5K together during the St. Jude Memphis Marathon Weekend. “We've decided that as long as we are able, we will run every year and raise money for St. Jude as a family,” said Ingram’s mom.

You can help patients like Ingram when you sign up for a race in your community as a St. Jude Hero.