This year, Elizabeth wants to dress up like a lion for Halloween. “She likes lions because they’re big and have manes and are orange,” her mom said. “She wants to roar loudly like a lion while she’s trick-or-treating.”
Elizabeth’s parents are grateful she’s happy and thriving. In August 2013, tests revealed Elizabeth suffered from acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a type of blood cancer. Elizabeth’s doctor immediately referred her to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, where she began two-and-a-half years of chemotherapy.
St. Jude patient Elizabeth in her Halloween costume in 2015.
During Elizabeth’s first year of treatment, she was inpatient during Halloween. Her mother remembers the bright, cheerful Halloween-themed drawings on the windows in the hallways outside of her hospital room. It was a way for St. Jude staff to bring Halloween to the kids who weren’t able to trick-or-treat. “People at St. Jude love their jobs, and they’re great with the kids,” said Elizabeth’s mom. “And that made it so much easier to be here.”
Elizabeth recently finished treatment and now visits St. Jude for regular checkups. Her family is grateful for how well she’s doing today. “Thanks to the people who donate to St. Jude, children who were never going to have a chance in life now have a chance,” said her mom. Because the majority of St. Jude funding comes from everyday people, St. Jude has the freedom to focus on what matters most — saving kids regardless of their financial situation.
Help our families focus on their sick child, not medical bills.
When you donate monthly, your gift means families, like Elizabeth'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
-
Meet Nikalis
Nikalis is a 6-year-old boy who loves playing with his five siblings. When he was only 10 months old, Nikalis was diagnosed with a rare genetic condition called Li Fraumeni.
-
Meet June
When Tammy's parents discovered he had anaplastic ependymoma, a type of brain tumor, they turned to St. Jude for their son's treatment.
-
Meet Tina
Tina was referred to St. Jude after she was found to have a brain tumor. St. Jude has given her family hope.
-
Meet Katie
When Katie was diagnosed with medulloblastoma, her family searched for a place where they would receive exemplary care. They didn't have to look far before finding St. Jude.
-
Meet Hadley
Hadley and her family weren't expecting to experience hope when she was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia, but that's what they found at St. Jude.
-
Meet Woods
Woods was 3 years old when he was diagnosed with brain cancer. He is being treated at St. Jude, where his family will never receive a bill.
-
Meet Zahaan
Zahaan is a special boy from Singapore who shows a remarkable concern for others, even in the midst of battling medulloblastoma at St. Jude.
-
Meet Emma
Nothing seems to get in the way of this little girl and her passion for barrel racing. And, with the help of St. Jude supporters, Emma is back in the saddle again.
-
Meet Ari'yanna
Ari'Yanna and her mom, D'Yana, are navigating the difficult, and at times painful, journey of sickle cell disease with St. Jude by their side.
-
Meet Cameron
Cameron is an exceptionally caring boy. During treatment for medulloblastoma, he became known around St. Jude for his magnetic smile.
-
Meet Tony
Tony wasn’t quite a year old when his family learned he suffered from ALL, a type of blood cancer. At St. Jude, he began chemotherapy immediately.
-
Meet Myra
Myra was experiencing severe headaches, and it was discovered to be a rare form of lymphoma called primary CNS ALCL.
-
Meet Harper
When Harper and her family discovered she had cancer, they approached her treatment like they approach sports — with the determination that she could beat it.
-
Meet Joanna
In 2017, 9-year-old Joanna was found to have medulloblastoma, a type of brain cancer, and began treatment at St. Jude.
-
Meet Zac
By the age of 7, Zac had already completed treatment for blood cancer. Four years later, when he was diagnosed with bone cancer, his family turned to St. Jude.
