Five-year-old Tyler walked into his pre-K classroom for his first day of school, eager to meet his classmates. Starting school meant he was finally a big kid, and big things were about to happen.
For Tyler’s parents, Jennifer and Thomas, something huge had happened already in their son’s life, and in their lives, too. In 2010, Tyler had fought cancer and won.
Tyler had always been an active, social child, but in March 2010, he felt lethargic and often lost his balance. His parents were concerned. At the emergency room, a CT scan revealed Tyler had a golf ball-sized brain tumor called medulloblastoma.
After surgery to remove the tumor, Tyler’s doctors referred him to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
At St. Jude, doctors determined Tyler’s brain tumor as low risk and tailored treatment to his needs, forgoing radiation therapy altogether and giving him a lower chemotherapy dose than he might have gotten otherwise.
Today, Tyler is done with treatment—and full of energy and adventure. He loves superheroes and excels at sports. He is a fierce competitor. He recently started playing baseball and is a good hitter. He also loves golfing with his dad and has a mean swing.
No wonder he likes school so much—more kids means more opportunities to play.
Help give hope to kids like Tyler who are fighting life-threatening illnesses. Become a Partner In Hope monthly donor today.
Meet more patients
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Meet Tony
Tony wasn’t quite a year old when his family learned he suffered from ALL, a type of blood cancer. At St. Jude, he began chemotherapy immediately.
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Meet Myra
Myra was experiencing severe headaches, and it was discovered to be a rare form of lymphoma called primary CNS ALCL.
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Meet Zac
By the age of 7, Zac had already completed treatment for blood cancer. Four years later, when he was diagnosed with bone cancer, his family turned to St. Jude.
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Meet Jason
Former patient Jason now works at St. Jude and goes the extra mile with the St. Jude Ride.
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Meet Felicity
With a diagnosis of 5 tumors in her brain and spine, Felicity is facing a struggle, but you wouldn't know it but you wouldn't know it by the constant smile on her face.
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Meet Karique
As he undergoes treatment for retinoblastoma, Karique and his family have been on a difficult journey that's taken them from Antigua to St. Jude.
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Meet Dakota
It's hard to keep patient Dakota away from the kitchen, and thanks to the Nutriolicious cooking classes at St. Jude, he doesn't have to be away for long.
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Meet Amir
Though Amir has only known sickle cell disease and St. Jude since he was born, he's at a hospital that has been pioneering the treatment of the disease for more than 50 years.
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Meet Max
When Max's parents became Partners In Hope, they never would have guessed that they would be supporting their own son, who's undergoing treatment for anaplastic ependymoma.
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Meet Anna
Patient Anna wasn't able to celebrate her 16th birthday at home. Instead, a group of friends from her hometown made the journey to St. Jude, making her birthday a sweet success.
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Meet the dads of St. Jude
Marcus, Ricardo and Gustavo never thought that they would arrive in Memphis, Tenn. (where St. Jude is located) to care for their sick children. But they've found a second home at the hospital that has worked to save their children's' lives.
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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 Mya
This year, patient Mya, who's receiving treatment for sickle cell disease, was selected to have a FedEx plane named after her at the FedEx St. Jude Classic.
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Reid's big day on the green
Reid loves golf, so he didn't let a diagnosis of soft tissue cancer stop him from living his dream and getting to caddy for his favorite golfer at the FedEx St. Jude Classic.
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Meet NaNa
NaNa has known cancer since she was 1 year old, but today, she has a brighter future with the help of St. Jude.
