Jazzy is the youngest of three and the only girl. She’s the apple of her family’s eye. Before she was diagnosed with cancer, Jazzy was a blur of motion, always running and jumping and playing.
“She loves the trampoline and playing dodgeball with her cousins,” said her mom, Mykel. “And she loves going to the beach with her dogs.”
St. Jude patient Jazzy with her mom, Mykel
In late 2018, Jazzy started to throw up and began to lose her balance. Her parents took her to the pediatrician, who sent Jazzy for an MRI.
“When the doctor told us there was a mass on her brain, that Jazzy had cancer, we felt like the rug was pulled out from under us,” Mykel said. “It was devastating.”
Families 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.
At St. Jude, Jazzy’s treatment included 30 rounds of proton therapy and four rounds of chemotherapy.
“At St. Jude, we hit the ground running. We love Jazzy’s nurses and the staff here. Her doctor is brilliant,” Mykel said.
Jazzy painting at a St. Jude art party.
Jazzy loves school and her favorite subject is math. She enjoys making crafts and slime, and she likes to dance and read. Jazzy is now finished with treatment and returns to St. Jude for regular checkups.
“They made everything worry-free, so we could just focus on Jazzy.”
Meet more patients
-
Meet Phenix
Phenix was referred to St. Jude for treatment after being diagnosed with brain cancer at just 5 months old. He continues to receive care at St. Jude.
-
Meet Adi
Adi was referred to St. Jude for treatment after being diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cancer of the blood and bone marrow. He is receiving treatment at St. Jude.
-
Meet Samara
Samara was referred to St. Jude for treatment after being diagnosed with Wilms tumor. Samara was able to finish treatment well.
-
Meet Lizbeth
Lizbeth was referred to St. Jude for treatment after being diagnosed with hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH), a rare disorder of the immune system.
-
Meet Madeline
Madeline was referred to St. Jude for treatment after being diagnosed with Ewing Sarcoma, a form of bone cancer.
-
Meet Kaleb
Kaleb was referred to St. Jude for treatment after being diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder that causes easy bruising and bleeding.
-
Meet Hazel
Hazel was referred to St. Jude for treatment after a CT scan showed she had a brain tumor. It was diagnosed as medulloblastoma.
-
Meet Micah
Micah was referred to St. Jude for treatment after a brain tumor was discovered during an emergency room visit prompted by persistent headaches and nausea.
-
Meet Rylee
When Rylee was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, she was referred to St. Jude for treatment. She received chemotherapy and had surgery to remove the tumor. Amidst these challenges, the family found hope at St. Jude.
-
Meet Alejandro
Ines and Alejandro think of their son Alejandro every day. Their active and curious boy would have been near adulthood by now. They honor his memory through their commitment to St. Jude. Read more here.
-
Meet Camila
Camila was diagnosed three days before her 3rd birthday with a solid cancerous tumor of the kidney. Read her story.
-
Meet Avery
Avery was diagnosed with sickle cell disease soon after birth and she received a bone marrow transplant at St. Jude in early 2023. Her donor was one of her older sisters.
-
Meet Misheel
Misheel was diagnosed with brain cancer and was referred to St. Jude, where she has received treatment, which included chemotherapy and radiation therapy. She has refused to let her illness keep her from spreading joy to others.
-
Meet Janelle
When Janelle was just over a year old, her family noticed that she began to regress in her development. Medical tests revealed that Janelle had cancer.
-
Meet Yazleemar
Yazleemar is an outgoing and expressive teenager. In 2012, Yazleemar was diagnosed with retinoblastoma, a rare cancer. St. Jude offered more than treatment to her and her family.