During the fall of 2017, Tina became nauseous and started to throw up almost daily. Her parents, Vicente and Marina, took her to the pediatrician, who determined that Tina had a virus.
But 10 days later, Tina was still sick. “We went to the hospital,” Vicente said. “Within 40 minutes, they told us Tina had a brain tumor.” A biopsy revealed the tumor was a type of brain cancer called medulloblastoma.
St. Jude patient Tina with her dad
“When we learned Tina had cancer, it was the worst news we’ve ever received,” Vicente said. “You never think something like this could happen to you.”
Tina’s family arrived at St. Jude in January 2018. Her treatment included 30 sessions of proton therapy and four months of chemotherapy. Her family is thankful for the care she’s received — and how much St. Jude provided for their family.
“St. Jude took the financial worry away,” said Vicente. “St. Jude allows families like ours to have our child treated with the best team behind us.”
Tina is now finished with treatment and returns for regular scans. She is an honor student who loves to play tennis and spend time watching videos or playing cards with her sister.
St. Jude kept our family together ... it's a little piece of heaven on earth.
Help our families focus on their sick child, not medical bills.
When you donate monthly, your gift means families, like Tina'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.
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Meet Stella
Stella is a sweet little girl who loves to do arts and crafts, play with her baby dolls and spend time with her little sister.
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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.
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Meet Joanna
In 2017, 9-year-old Joanna was found to have medulloblastoma, a type of brain cancer, and began treatment at St. Jude.
