Meet Gracie
age 1, blood cancer
Gracie’s smile lights up a room. When her dad’s service dog, Karson, comes into her view, she squeals in delight. She’s a happy little girl, clearly the apple of her parents’ eyes.
She’s also a very sick little girl. Just one day after her birth, Gracie was diagnosed with infant acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
I barely got to hold her. They thought it was leukemia. The next morning they knew for sure.
“I was devastated,” said Gracie’s mom, Ashley.
“I lost it,” said Gracie’s dad, Brett. “I was so far away, I couldn’t be there with them.”
St. Jude patient Gracie with her mom, Ashley, and her dad, Brett
Brett is a corporal in the United States Marine Corps. Last September, when Ashley, who was home in the States with family, went into labor, Brett was deployed in Iraq. Nearly 7,000 miles separated them. Ashley’s pregnancy had been smooth sailing and Gracie’s birth had gone well. For a fleeting moment, Ashley held her newborn daughter to her chest before nurses whisked the baby away. Little Gracie had a fever, and her breathing was off.
“I barely got to hold her,” Ashley said. “They thought it was leukemia. The next morning they knew for sure.”
Meet more patients
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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 Luna
When St. Jude patient Luna started to feel sick, her parents became concerned. Doctors in Guatemala confirmed what her parents had feared, Luna had leukemia.
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Meet Griffin
As an Air Force family stationed abroad, Griffin’s family was living in Germany when he was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia on Veteran’s Day 2019.
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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 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 Ava
Five-year-old Ava had a cancerous brain tumor called medulloblastoma. Referred to St. Jude, she underwent a second surgery, proton therapy and chemotherapy.
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Meet Sariyah
In the summer of 2020, photos taken of St. Jude patient Sariyah by her mother showed signs of cancerous tumors in both eyes at the age of 18 months.
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Meet Patient Lucas
Around Thanksgiving of 2020, three-year-old Lucas was complaining of headaches. His parents thought he just wanted attention. An MRI indicated something more serious.
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Meet Eri'Elle
Eri’Elle was just two years old when her troubles started. Her mother took her to a pediatrician and insisted they run tests to get to the bottom of her baby’s symptoms.
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Meet Scarlet
At St. Jude, Scarlet and her mom lived at Target House for half a year while Scarlet was in treatment for acute myeloid leukemia. Her family never received a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food. .
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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 Calvin
At St. Jude, Calvin underwent chemotherapy, proton therapy and radiation treatments for rhabdomyosarcoma, a cancer of the soft tissue. He continues to receive treatment at St. Jude, having experienced a recurrence of cancer in 2020.
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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 Gracie
Gracie was eight months old when she was diagnosed with blood cancer. She underwent chemotherapy and physical, occupational and speech therapies at St. Jude.
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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.
At St. Jude, Gracie started chemotherapy immediately. She is a part of the TINI protocol. 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.
It was hard for Brett and Ashley to see their baby hooked up to machines, but Gracie’s care team has helped them every step of the way.
“Gracie’s doctor loves her so much,” Ashley said. “Seeing how much she cares for Gracie, seeing her play with Gracie, it means a lot to us.”
Brett is thankful for Gracie’s nurses. “Some of her nurses have known her longer than I have,” he said. “They’re with Gracie every day. They’ve watched her grow.”
When her dad’s service dog, Karson, comes into her view, Gracie squeals in delight.
Within two months, Gracie’s cancer was in remission, where it remains today. Gracie’s treatment also includes music, occupational and physical therapies, to help ensure she’s reaching her milestones.
Seeing Gracie’s smile every day, seeing how happy she is, that helps us get through this. She’s growing every day.
Help our families focus on their sick child, not medical bills.
When you donate monthly, your gift means families, like Gracie'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.