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 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 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 Nova
Though Nova's eye cancer is aggressive and she is being treated for a second time, her parents know the doctors at St. Jude will stop at nothing to help their baby girl live.
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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
At 6 months old, Eduardo was referred to St. Jude where he was diagnosed with liver cancer. His treatment included surgery to remove the mass and chemotherapy.
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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.