Mae is a girly girl. She loves dolls, the color purple and glitter—lots and lots of glitter. On this particular day, Mae is going through a large box full of dress up clothes. There are princess dresses, fairy wings and dance costumes to sort through. Mae finds what she’s looking for, a frilly purple dress full of sparkles. Mae puts on the dress and a bejeweled tiara, then poses in front of the mirror, a princess ready for the ball.
Mae was found to suffer from Wilms tumor in fall 2010 and received treatment at a local hospital. But in March 2012, the cancer returned, and her family decided to go to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
St. Jude has a wealth of knowledge about this type of cancer, that’s where we wanted to be.
“St. Jude has a wealth of knowledge about this type of cancer,” said Mae’s mom, Tricia. That’s where we wanted to be.”
At St. Jude, Mae underwent chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
“The care at St. Jude is so comprehensive,” said Tricia. “It’s so team oriented.”
Mae’s parents are grateful she’s formed a close bond with another Wilms tumor patient, Bailey. The girls were in kindergarten together and shared the same doctors and nurses.
“We didn’t have this community the first time around,” Tricia said. “Bailey can be there for Mae in a way I can’t.”
Mae has fought her battle against cancer, and today she’s cancer free. When the sunlight catches her sparkly outfit, she seems to glow.
Help give hope to kids like Mae who are fighting life-threatening illnesses. Become a Partner In Hope monthly donor today.
Meet more patients
-
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 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 Brayden
Brayden received chemotherapy as well as proton therapy for medulloblastoma at the first proton therapy center in the world dedicated solely to children.
-
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 Nova
Though Nova's eye cancer is aggressive and she is being treated for a second time, her parents know the doctors at St. Jude will stop at nothing to help their baby girl live.
-
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 Keegan
Before age 2, Keegan was diagnosed with leukemia and her family was referred to St. Jude where doctors immediately got to work trying to save her life.
-
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 Thiago
Thiago loves to dance to the rhythm of his dad's djembe. In 2019, he was born with bubble boy disease and was referred to St. Jude where he underwent a new gene therapy to save his life.
-
Meet Aaron-James
At age 2, after being diagnosed with sickle cell disease, Aaron-James came to St. Jude where he loves talking to the nurses and doctors.
-
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.
-
Meet Leah
Leah is a big sister who loves dresses, shopping, singing and helping in the kitchen. In March 2019, she was referred to St. Jude for acute lymphoblastic leukemia treatment, which included a transplant with her mother as her donor.
-
Meet Elliott
Elliott is social and loves the outdoors. He also loves St. Jude, where he's being treated for leukemia.
-
Meet Dahiralis
Dahiralis is a very active little girl who loves to play, jump and run everywhere. At 3 years of age, she was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, a cancerous tumor, and was referred to St. Jude where doctors provided her much-needed treatment and care.
-
Meet Melanie
When Melanie was diagnosed with brain cancer and referred to St. Jude, she wasn’t nervous. She was actually looking forward to treatment — chemotherapy, proton therapy and visits from St. Jude therapy dog Huckleberry — because to Melanie, St. Jude meant getting well again.