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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Childhood Cancer Awareness Month - St. Jude patient Joanna
In 2017, 9-year-old Joanna was found to have medulloblastoma, a type of brain cancer, and began treatment at St. Jude.
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Meet Jason
Former patient Jason now works at St. Jude and goes the extra mile with the St. Jude Ride.
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Meet Karique
As he undergoes treatment for retinoblastoma, Karique and his family have been on a difficult journey that's taken them from Antigua to St. Jude.
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Meet Dakota
It's hard to keep patient Dakota away from the kitchen, and thanks to the Nutriolicious cooking classes at St. Jude, he doesn't have to be away for long.
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Meet Amir
Though Amir has only known sickle cell disease and St. Jude since he was born, he's at a hospital that has been pioneering the treatment of the disease for more than 50 years.
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Meet Max
When Max's parents became Partners In Hope, they never would have guessed that they would be supporting their own son, who's undergoing treatment for anaplastic ependymoma.
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Meet Anna
Patient Anna wasn't able to celebrate her 16th birthday at home. Instead, a group of friends from her hometown made the journey to St. Jude, making her birthday a sweet success.
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Meet the dads of St. Jude
Marcus, Ricardo and Gustavo never thought that they would arrive in Memphis, Tenn. (where St. Jude is located) to care for their sick children. But they've found a second home at the hospital that has worked to save their children's' lives.
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Meet Tammy
When Tammy's parents discovered he had anaplastic ependymoma, a type of brain tumor, they turned to St. Jude for their son's treatment.
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Meet Mya
This year, patient Mya, who's receiving treatment for sickle cell disease, was selected to have a FedEx plane named after her at the FedEx St. Jude Classic.
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Reid's big day on the green
Reid loves golf, so he didn't let a diagnosis of soft tissue cancer stop him from living his dream and getting to caddy for his favorite golfer at the FedEx St. Jude Classic.
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Meet NaNa
NaNa has known cancer since she was 1 year old, but today, she has a brighter future with the help of St. Jude.
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Meet Santiago
When a CT scan revealed Santiago had medulloblastoma, a type of brain tumor, his parents were devastated.
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Meet Connor
Just before New Year's Eve 2016, Connor and his family received news that would change the tune of his life. At St. Jude, Connor's love of music is helping carry him through treatment for a brain tumor called germinoma.
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Meet Abi
St. Jude patient Abi is facing cancer the way that kids face bullies, but she isn't backing down anytime soon.
