Last September, Woods complained of headaches, ran a fever and threw up in the mornings after he woke. His parents, Ashley and Henry, worried something was wrong.
Just before Woods’ fourth birthday, their fears were confirmed when a CT scan revealed Woods had a type of cancerous brain tumor called medulloblastoma.
St. Jude patient Woods with his favorite stuffed toy
We wanted to be where doctors saw hundreds of these types of cases.
Ashley and Henry were familiar with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and asked for a referral. “We wanted to be where doctors saw hundreds of these types of cases,” Henry said. Within days, the family arrived at St. Jude.
Treatments invented at St. Jude have helped push the overall childhood cancer survival rate from 20% to more than 80% since it opened more than 50 years ago. St. Jude is working to drive the overall survival rate for childhood cancer to 90%.
At St. Jude, Woods underwent surgery to remove the tumor, followed by radiation therapy and chemotherapy, which he completed in May 2018.
His family celebrated the end of his treatment with a No More Chemo party, attended by family, friends and Woods’ St. Jude care team.
St. Jude patient Woods with his mom, Ashley
Help our families focus on their sick child, not medical bills.
When you donate monthly, your gift means families, like Woods', 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.
Meet more patients
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Meet Ashtyn
When Ashtyn’s family learned she had a type of cancerous brain tumor called a medulloblastoma, they turned to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
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Meet Maelin-Kate
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Meet St. Jude Patient Farouk
Farouk was a healthy baby, but something seemed wrong with his eyes. His parents, Hussam and Linda, were Syrian refugees living in Jordan when they learned Farouk had a type of eye cancer called retinoblastoma.
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Meet patient Lillian (Lily)
Lillian (Lily) and her sister, Emmy, are inseparable, and always on the move. St. Jude is keeping them that way.
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Meet Eleanor
Eleanor is a determined baby who arrived at St. Jude on her first birthday. She was diagnosed with down syndrome and acute myeloid leukemia, a type of blood cancer.
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Meet Mia
Mia is a friendly, caring child who was referred to St. Jude from her home country of Nicaragua when she was 5 years old. She was diagnosed with anaplastic ependymoma, a malignant tumor in her brain.
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Meet Marina
Marina is a joyful 2-year-old who loves to laugh and dance with her siblings. She was referred to St. Jude after a white glimmer in her pupil led to her being diagnosed with retinoblastoma, an eye cancer.
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Meet Kaitlyn
Kaitlyn first came to St. Jude at just over a year old when she was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma, a soft tissue cancer. Despite all she’s been through, her smile shines bright.
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Pushing through hard times
Colton is a 9-year-old boy who's used to being active in every area of life. And while an aggresive form of kidney cancer might have threatened that, St. Jude was right by his side.
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Meet Abraham
After a CT scan revealed Abraham had a mass on his brain, identified as a cancerous brain tumor called a medulloblastoma, his family turned to St. Jude for help.
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Meet Pepe
Pepe and his family have known cancer more intimately than most families. Watch their journey in this 4-part series, and how they found hope through it all.
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Meet Riku
While treatment for medulloblastoma is a difficult journey for 4-year-old Riku, his parents, Noriko and Jun, are there to give him strength and support along the way.
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Meet Tina
Tina was referred to St. Jude after she was found to have a brain tumor. St. Jude has given her family hope.
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Meet Smyrna
Smyrna is a teenager who has plenty of hobbies. Even with a diagnosis of medulloblastoma, she's determined to continue the active life she leads.
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Thank you for supporting St. Jude in 2020
The kids and families of St. Jude are grateful for your support.