Four-year-old Isaac is the baby of his family. He loves to play with a ball of any kind — basketball, baseball, soccer, football, even bowling! But most of all, he adores his older siblings, Matthew and Alyssa. Being separated from them was one of the hardest parts of cancer treatment for this loving boy.
Isaac came to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital the day after his third birthday for treatment of a rare blood cancer called juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia. To survive, he needed a bone marrow transplant. And his own big sister was able to give Isaac — and the whole family — hope for his cure.
She is a miracle to all of us. It made her very sick that day, but she said she’d do it again.
Many people who need a transplant will not find a progenitor cell match among their family members, but Alyssa was an optimal match for Isaac’s transplant. She became his donor in October 2016.
Isaac’s family did not pay for this procedure, because families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food.
Tiffany said, “The medical care itself would be more than what most anyone could do financially, and then we didn’t have to worry about housing, we didn’t have to worry about food, we didn’t have to worry about any of those things, and we got to focus on Isaac.”
Isaac has been doing well post-transplant, going home to his family and returning to St. Jude for checkups. He started preschool in 2017.
“He told me, ‘Mom, I’ll miss St. Jude,’” said Tiffany. “And I told him, ‘You know, we’re going to come back for visits, and we’re still going to see the doctors. We just don’t have to stay.’ He was so ready to go home, and yet I think St. Jude becomes a part of you; it becomes a part of who you are and your experience. It’s been a life-changing experience in the most humbling of ways.”
Help our families focus on their sick child, not medical bills.
When you donate monthly, your gift means families, like Isaac'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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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. .
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Meet Gabe
When the lights on the Christmas tree hurt Gabe’s eyes, his mom knew something was wrong.
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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.
Other ways to get involved
Fundraise at work
Start a workplace giving program at your office. Learn how to make your workplace fundraiser for St. Jude a success and get your employees engaged.
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Fundraise at school
Participate or organize a fundraising event for St. Jude in your school to help kids fighting cancer and other life-threatening diseases.
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