Miguel, or “Mikey,” as his mom calls him, was a reserved little boy when he first arrived at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. But now, with the encouraging way staff members have cared for him, he has blossomed into a trusting, outgoing toddler, stealing hearts at every turn.
When Mikey was a baby, photos showed a glare in his eyes. When he was 5 months old, doctors in Mexico found the cause – he had bilateral retinoblastoma, cancerous tumors in both of his eyes.
His family discovered St. Jude online and obtained a referral. His mom, Liliana, didn’t know much about St. Jude before their arrival, but the leap of faith paid off.
In Mexico, the treatment would have been to remove both of Mikey’s eyes; at St. Jude, his doctors were able to give his family hope for his vision.
Liliana was worried about how to pay for everything since she would be away from work during Mikey’s lengthy treatment. But, to her relief, she learned families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food, because all they should worry about is helping their child live.
St. Jude doctors fought to save both of Mikey’s eyes as well as his health, with a combination of chemotherapy, laser treatment and cryotherapy. He also received physical, occupational and speech therapies to help him meet his milestones.
Thanks to the treatment Mikey received at St. Jude, his vision was saved in one of his eyes.
Soon, he will be able to return home. St. Jude will continue to see Mikey for checkups.
To those who support St. Jude, Liliana says, “I don’t know what we would have done without St. Jude and the support of people like you.”
Meet more patients
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Meet Jean Pierre
At 18, Jean Pierre is headed to university. At three years old, he was treated at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital® for craniopharyngioma, a slow-growing brain tumor.
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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.
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Meet Patient Mikayla
Over Christmas 2020, something was wrong with then one-year-old Mikayla. Referred to St. Jude, her cancer was identified as acute myeloid leukemia. Mikayla successfully underwent chemotherapy.
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Meet Gabe
When the lights on the Christmas tree hurt Gabe’s eyes, his mom knew something was wrong.
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Meet Krew
What started out as a seemingly innocent bump on the head was later heartbreakingly revealed as cancer. Krew was diagnosed with leukemia at just 7 months old.
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Meet patient Jacob
Jacob had frequent headaches and wasn’t himself. Diagnosed with leukemia, he was referred to St. Jude for treatment including chemotherapy to try and save his life.
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Meet Jamelia
At 4 years old, Jamelia felt bad and saw blood in her urine. Diagnosed with renal cell cancer, she was referred to St. Jude for treatment including proton therapy.
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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.
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Meet Alfredo
It started when Alfredo had unexplained bruises and a constant fever. A local doctor who called for bloodwork and results confirmed that he had leukemia.
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Meet Levi
Levi was found to have acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and was quickly referred to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital where he began chemotherapy.
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Meet Mabry
When Mabry was diagnosed with blood cancer, she was immediately sent to St. Jude. "Everyone here cares about your child," said her mom.
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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 Lydia
Lydia has an unusual hobby for a kid her age: reading scholarly articles in medical journals. But not just any articles. She’s interested in those authored by Dr. Gajjar, the man – along with nurses and researchers and others at St. Jude – working to save her life.
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Meet Misheel
Misheel was diagnosed with brain cancer and was referred to St. Jude, where she has received treatment, which included chemotherapy and radiation therapy. She has refused to let her illness keep her from spreading joy to others.
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Meet Hunter
Hunter was diagnosed with osteosarcoma and was immediately referred to St. Jude. Hunter has chosen to face adversity with good humor and determination.