On the day before Father’s Day 2016, Millie and her dad were playing together when he noticed a lump on her side. At first, doctors thought it might be a bowel obstruction, but a CT scan showed it to be Wilms tumor: kidney cancer.
When their local children’s hospital discovered a spot on her lung as well, Millie’s pediatrician referred her to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Treatments invented at St. Jude have helped push the overall childhood cancer survival rate from 20% to more than 80% since it opened more than 50 years ago.
“I felt like we cried every single day we were at that other hospital,” said her mom. “Once we got here, everything kind of fell into place.”
At St. Jude, Millie underwent multiple surgeries, radiation therapy and chemotherapy. Millie’s mom says the best thing about St. Jude is how kid friendly it is.
I don’t have to worry about her being unhappy while we’re here. She’s always happy. You think if you’re in a hospital full of cancer patients, then it’s all gloomy, but it’s not. Kids run around the hallways laughing and smiling.
St. Jude patient Millie enjoys the festivities with volunteers during a visit to St. Jude.
Millie is outgoing, loving and “very sassy,” according to her doting parents. While in treatment, she loved to play hide-and-seek with her St. Jude care team. “It’s become a routine. All of them knew she would hide, so they’d play hide-and-seek with her when they came into the room. If they didn’t see her, they’d know she was hiding.”
Millie finished treatments in spring 2017 and now visits St. Jude for checkups every three months. She’s enjoying two big firsts in life. “She started pre-kindergarten in August and has made lots of new friends,” said her mom. “Plus, she became a big sister at the beginning of September, and needless to say, she’s loving every minute of that.”
St. Jude is leading the way the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. And stories like Millie’s are thanks to donors like you.
Help our families focus on their sick child, not medical bills.
When you donate monthly, your gift means families, like Millie'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 Sara
Determined to get Sara the best treatment possible, her parents turned to St. Jude, a world away from their home in Serbia.
-
Meet Luke
When Luke was found to suffer from a rare form of brain tumor, his family traveled from their home in England to St. Jude for treatment.
-
Meet Sofia
When Sofia’s family learned she had cancer, they were referred to St. Jude and made the long trip from Ecuador. But when they arrived, they felt right at home.
-
Meet Adam
St. Jude patient Adam has raised more than $130,000 through his fundraising campaign, Adam's Army.
-
Meet Sofia, Ana and Sara
Sofia, Ana and Sara were destined to be friends. They came from different parts of the world to share in their fight together at St. Jude.
-
Meet Mack
In the fall of 2014, Mack experienced leg pain. Tests revealed the pain was the result of a type of bone cancer called Ewing sarcoma.
-
Meet Ximena
Of her daughter’s diagnosis, her mother, Nora, said “We were on a dark path. But when we arrived at St. Jude, it was like seeing light on the path.”
-
Meet Mia
Mia has a vivid imagination, and can always spin a good story. Even an IV bag can inspire a fairy tale with Mia around!
-
Meet Tyler
Tyler's bond with his father, a FedEx employee, reaches new heights as Tyler becomes the fourth St. Jude patient honored with a FedEx airplane named after him.
-
Meet patient Luke
After Luke's cancer relapsed during his first six months of treatment, he needed a rare transplant. His parents' search for a treatment led them to St. Jude.
-
Meet Lea
Lea was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia in 2013, and she was treated in her home country of Canada. After the cancer relapsed, doctors referred her St. Jude.
-
Meet Hailey
Hailey has been treated at St. Jude for a brain tumor since age 2. Last year, she graduated high school and went on the cruise of a lifetime to celebrate.
-
Meet Markell
In late 2009, Markell was found to suffer from osteosarcoma, a type of bone cancer.
-
Meet Sagr
Sagr and his family were living in India when they learned he had a type of bone cancer called Ewing sarcoma. His parents turned to St. Jude.
-
Meet Gustavo
Gustavo beat cancer once, but when it came back, his family made the long journey from Guatemala to St. Jude so he could be treated.
