Kiara loves spending time with her siblings, Kylie and Jameson. The kids are busy trying to decide what they’ll be for Halloween this year. Kiara uses a wheelchair and would like to incorporate it into her costume. The siblings talk excitedly about trick-or-treating and all of the candy they’ll get.
It’s a world away from Halloween two years ago, when Kiara’s family was worried about her health.
In October 2014, Kiara developed headaches that worsened over time. When Halloween arrived, she had trouble keeping her balance as she trick-or-treated. Her parents took her to the ER, where tests revealed a mass on her brain. Kiara underwent surgery in Arizona to remove the tumor, but knowing Kiara would need continuing treatment, her family turned to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
At St. Jude, Kiara’s tumor was identified as a medulloblastoma. Her treatment included seven rounds of chemotherapy and six weeks of radiation therapy. Kiara is now finished with treatment and visits St. Jude for regular checkups. “St. Jude is forever written in our hearts,” said Kiara’s dad. “We love the friendships we made there. We’ll forever spread the message of what a wonderful place St. Jude is.”
Treatments invented at St. Jude have helped push the overall childhood cancer survival rate from 20 percent to more than 80 percent since we opened more than 50 years ago. 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.
Help our families focus on their sick child, not medical bills.
When you donate monthly, your gift means families, like Kiara'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 Bella
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Meet Cole
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Meet Slater
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Meet Emily
By the time 5-year-old Emily completes treatment for the second time, she will have undergone a total of 16 months of chemotherapy and 12 weeks of radiation therapy.
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Meet Cohen
Cohen and his family didn't expect to find themselves at St. Jude, nor did they expect to find overwhelming coverage for anything they might need.
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Meet Monk
A diagnosis of bone cancer and the amputation of Monk's left foot changed his life forever, but he wasn't about to let it dampen his spirits or slow him down.
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Swimming toward hope
To be the best swimmer she can be today, Katherine has had to regain physical strength after cancer treatment - and reach a new level of mental toughness.
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Meet Smyrna
Smyrna is a teenager who has plenty of hobbies. Even with a diagnosis of medulloblastoma, she's determined to continue the active life she leads.
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Meet Riku
While treatment for medulloblastoma is a difficult journey for 4-year-old Riku, his parents, Noriko and Jun, are there to give him strength and support along the way.
