Luna has a beautiful smile and a light that shines everywhere she goes. When she started to feel sick and stopped acting like herself, her parents became concerned. Doctors in her hometown in Guatemala confirmed what her parents had feared, Luna had leukemia.
Luna was referred to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, where doctors placed her on a treatment plan that included chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant.
Eleven months later, Luna and her family were given the okay to return home to Guatemala, but a month after their arrival, red spots appeared on Luna’s legs.
Her cancer was back.
St. Jude patient Luna and her dad
St. Jude patient Luna and her dad
Luna and her family turned to St. Jude again, where she underwent another bone marrow transplant, chemotherapy and CAR T-cell therapy.
St. Jude not only offers new treatment without a cost to us, but along with that treatment comes empathy and a lot of warmth.
- Mario, Luna's dad
Families, like Luna's, will never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food — so they can focus on helping their child live.
Meet more patients
-
Meet Abraham
After a CT scan revealed Abraham had a mass on his brain, identified as a cancerous brain tumor called a medulloblastoma, his family turned to St. Jude for help.
-
Meet Adalyn
Adalyn had stomachaches that came and went with episodes of severe pain. At the ER, doctors found a large mass above her kidney, stage-4 high-risk neuroblastoma.
-
Meet Aspen
Aspen was not yet two when diagnosed with neuroblastoma. She was treated in the Philippines but six months later, the cancer was spreading so she was referred to St. Jude.
-
Meet Avyan
Avyan carries himself with confidence and strength beyond his years. His manner has given fortitude to his family as they walk through an unimaginable reality.
-
Meet Kamryn
At 2 years old, Kamryn's bloodwork indicated he had a form of blood cancer called acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Doctors referred him to St. Jude where he would undergo more than 2 years of chemotherapy while growing to love activities like Music Therapy.