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.
Tina prior to treatment
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.
Tina was then referred to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
Families, like Tina's, will never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food.
Tina with her family in 2018
“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.”
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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.
Tina on the St. Jude campus
St. Jude took the financial worry away. St. Jude allows families like ours to have our child treated with the best team behind us.
Tina with her parents in 2021
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 and playing cards with her sister.
Tina in 2021
St. Jude kept our family together... it's a little piece of heaven on earth.
Meet more patients
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Meet Carl
At 3 years old, Carl had leg pain and his belly began to swell. He had a cancerous tumor above a kidney. He was referred to St. Jude where he received treatment.
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Meet Ay'Den
Ay'Den is a kind boy with an easy smile. When he collapsed, his family was afraid he had COVID-19. Ay'Den would be diagnosed with leukemia and referred to St. Jude.
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Meet Myla
Myla’s mom found that her little girl wasn’t feeling well. Rushed to St. Jude, four-year-old Myla was diagnosed with a blood cancer called acute megakaryoblastic leukemia.
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Meet Brayden
Brayden received chemotherapy as well as proton therapy for medulloblastoma at the first proton therapy center in the world dedicated solely to children.
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Meet Eli
At just 6 years old, Eli was diagnosed with osteosarcoma. His family was referred to St. Jude for his treatment and Eli underwent surgery to remove the tumor and a portion of his tibia.
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Meet Max
Max traveled from China, with the Illinois couple who adopted him, to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital where he and his family received lifesaving treatment and comforting support in equal measure.
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Meet Nova
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Meet Aspen
Aspen was not yet two when diagnosed with neuroblastoma. She was treated in the Philippines but six months later, the cancer was spreading so she was referred to St. Jude.
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Meet Keegan
Before age 2, Keegan was diagnosed with leukemia and her family was referred to St. Jude where doctors immediately got to work trying to save her life.
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Meet Eduardo
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Meet Thiago
Thiago loves to dance to the rhythm of his dad's djembe. In 2019, he was born with bubble boy disease and was referred to St. Jude where he underwent a new gene therapy to save his life.
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Meet Aaron-James
At age 2, after being diagnosed with sickle cell disease, Aaron-James came to St. Jude where he loves talking to the nurses and doctors.
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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 Leah
Leah is a big sister who loves dresses, shopping, singing and helping in the kitchen. In March 2019, she was referred to St. Jude for acute lymphoblastic leukemia treatment, which included a transplant with her mother as her donor.
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Meet Elliott
Elliott is social and loves the outdoors. He also loves St. Jude, where he's being treated for leukemia.