Markell is a superstar in the making. In late 2009, he was found to suffer from osteosarcoma, a type of bone cancer, and was immediately referred to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. "I didn’t know much about cancer,” said his mom, Monique. “I was in shock. All I could do was cry.”
Because the majority of St. Jude funding comes from individual contributors, St. Jude has the freedom to focus on what matters most — saving kids regardless of their financial situation.
Markell underwent nine weeks of chemotherapy, after which he had surgery to remove the tumor. It was a limb-salvaging procedure, where the diseased bone was replaced with a prosthesis that could be extended as he grew. He then underwent 26 more weeks of chemotherapy, as well as physical therapy.
After treatment ended, Markell returned home and resumed school. Then, in June 2012, his family learned the cancer had returned. They returned to St. Jude, where, unfortunately, his left leg below his knee had to be amputated. Markell again underwent physical therapy and adjusted quickly to using a prosthetic leg. He was home by the time eighth grade started in the fall of 2012.
But in early 2013, Markell’s upper left leg began to swell and hurt. At St. Jude, doctors confirmed the cancer was back once again. This time, Markell’s treatment included surgery to remove the remaining bone and joint in his left leg, as well as radiation therapy and chemotherapy.
Despite everything he’s been through, Markell is outgoing and charming. He’s a huge basketball fan, counting LeBron James as one of his favorites. Markell is a fighter and St. Jude has been alongside him fighting every step of the way. Recent scans revealed tumor growth, and Markell is continuing chemotherapy.
Editor's note: We regret to inform you that patient Markell passed away in February 2016.
Help end childhood cancer
-
Meet Londyn
When Londyn’s parents, Anthony and Kascie, learned she had acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a type of blood cancer, they turned to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital® for her care.
-
Meet Janie
Janie has experienced a lot while undergoing treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Luckily she has her family — and St. Jude — to crawl with her every step of the way.
-
Meet Iris
St. Jude patient Iris has always loved riding horses and wasn't going to let a brain tumor called craniopharyngioma stop her.
-
Giving cancer a karate chop
St. Jude patient Zoë is kicking, punching and blocking her way through treatment for a rare brain tumor.
-
Meet Charley
Charley led her college fundraising team for St. Jude just months before she became a patient there herself.
-
Silly siblings
Griffin likes to play baseball and basketball with his twin brother, Graham, and their older siblings. But things weren’t all fun and games when Griffin’s family found out he had a rare type of cancer. They quickly turned to St. Jude for help.
-
Meet Jace
Jace always has an ear-to-ear grin, even the midst of treatment for a spinal tumor.
-
Kadie's proposal
Former patient Kadie had her life transformed by cancer. Little did she know that her future would be changed with a proposal at the place that saved her life.
-
Braving the unknown
Eight-year-old Stella Grace and her family had been participating in St. Jude events for years. But when she became a patient, St. Jude took on a new meaning.
-
A spunky supporter
Before Ellee and her family found themselves at St. Jude, she was raising money, one lap at a time, for kids just like her.
-
Gideon is home for the holidays
Two-year-old Gideon will celebrate the holidays at home for the first time, after spending two Christmases at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital for treatment of stage 4, high-risk neuroblastoma.
-
Super trouper
Dawson is a strong, athletic kid. On Super Bowl Sunday in 2016, his parents received news that would change their lives — Dawson had cancer.
-
Meet Shekinah
Four-year-old Shekinah is full of cheer and playfulness, even in the midst of the discovery of a brain tumor in early 2017.
-
Meet Nathan
In 2016, just 10 days after Nathan was born, he was found to have cancer. Instead of spending Christmas at home, they found themselves at St. Jude.
-
Kate's letter to her future self
St. Jude patient Kate recently stepped into the spotlight when she announced a Chicago Bears' second-round draft pick during the NFL draft.