As a competitive gymnast since she was 8 years old, Kate, who is now 18, is used to being in the spotlight. On April 28, the high school senior stepped into a spotlight of a different kind when she announced the Chicago Bears’ second-round draft pick — tight end Adam Shaheen — during the NFL draft. A lifelong Chicago Bears fan, it was a big deal for Kate, yet she handled it in stride. “I wasn’t nervous,” she said. “I was just so honored to represent St. Jude and the Chicago Bears.”
In 2010, Kate’s family learned she suffered from acute myeloid leukemia. Her parents were devastated, but Kate had a very different reaction — she felt energized. Thanks to the perseverance and dedication developed as a competitive gymnast, she saw no reason to slow down and continued pushing herself.
At a hospital near her hometown, she underwent chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant. However, due to treatment complications, Kate lost her left leg. “She was up on crutches the same day she lost her leg,” her mother, Barb, said. “Within a week of getting her prosthetic leg, she was learning to run.”
After she finished treatment, Kate continued gymnastics and adapted to having a prosthesis. But in September 2012, the cancer returned. This time, her family turned to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, where Kate successfully underwent a second bone marrow transplant later that year.
St. Jude has helped push the childhood cancer survival rate from less than 20% when we opened to 80% today. We won’t stop until no child dies from cancer.
Protocols developed at St. Jude helped save Kate’s life, giving her the chance to remain active and to share the spotlight with her beloved Bears.
St. Jude patient and Chicago Bears fan Kate (second from right) with her family.
Today, Kate, who visits St. Jude for annual checkups, is thriving. She’ll graduate high school soon and is looking at colleges with strong biology programs and top-rated gymnastics teams. Kate competes in three gymnastic events — bars, beam and vault. “There are only a handful of gymnasts with a prosthetic,” Barb said. “It’s a very difficult thing to do.”
Help our families focus on their sick child, not medical bills.
When you donate monthly, your gift means families, like Kate'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
-
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.
-
Meet Lucas: Patient Video
When Lucas' family planned their trip to the United States from Chile, they never dreamed it would include a hospital stay for Lucas to begin cancer treatment.
-
Meet Patient Mikayla
Over Christmas 2020, something was wrong with then one-year-old Mikayla. Referred to St. Jude, her cancer was identified as acute myeloid leukemia. Mikayla successfully underwent chemotherapy.
-
Meet Quincy
There are few things scarier than your child receiving a diagnosis of cancer, but that's the boat Karla and Quinton found themselves in. Now they're at St. Jude, and those fears are being cast aside and replaced with hope for a cure for their son, Quincy.
-
Meet Ay'Den
Ay'Den is a kind boy with an easy smile. When he collapsed, his family was afraid he had COVID-19. Ay'Den would be diagnosed with leukemia and referred to St. Jude.
-
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.
-
Meet Eli
At just 6 years old, Eli was diagnosed with osteosarcoma. His family was referred to St. Jude for his treatment and Eli underwent surgery to remove the tumor and a portion of his tibia.
-
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.
-
Meet Myla
Myla’s mom found that her little girl wasn’t feeling well. Rushed to St. Jude, four-year-old Myla was diagnosed with a blood cancer called acute megakaryoblastic leukemia.
-
Meet Eduardo
At 6 months old, Eduardo was referred to St. Jude where he was diagnosed with liver cancer. His treatment included surgery to remove the mass and chemotherapy.
-
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.
-
Meet Maelin-Kate
Maelin-Kate was diagnosed with a rare blood disease at age 5, but her mom says, "Every day, she finds a reason why it's the best day ever."
-
Meet Colton
Colton is a 12-year-old who's used to being active in every area of life. And while an aggressive form of kidney cancer might have threatened that, St. Jude was right by his side.
-
Meet Yamila
Yamila experienced cancer three times and is now celebrating five years of remission. Thanks to St. Jude and supporters like you, her journey as a musician, avid animal lover and cancer survivor continues.
-
Meet Imani
Imani was diagnosed with cancer at 5 weeks old. Her family feared the worst. But at St. Jude, there was hope for her future.