Meet Declynn
At just 19 months old, Declynn was diagnosed with a type of blood cancer. She is now more than halfway through her two-and-a-half-year treatment plan.
St. Jude patient Declynn
St Jude patient Declynn
Declynn's story
When Declynn was diagnosed with cancer, it came as a bolt out of the blue.
She was just 19 months old, and her mom had taken her to the pediatrician for a slight wheeze. But when Declynn’s bloodwork showed abnormalities, her doctor sent her to the local children’s hospital, and from there, she was transferred to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital® after test results suggested leukemia.
At St. Jude, doctors confirmed a diagnosis of B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and Declynn began chemotherapy in April 2024.
I remember thinking, 'Is she never going to be a little girl that laughs or dances or plays anymore?’ It didn’t take long for her hair to start falling out. It affected me tremendously. I had to get her first haircut so that I could have a little piece of that hair, because I knew when it grew back it wasn’t going to be that baby hair anymore, it was going to be toddler big girl hair.
- Jessica, Declynn's mom
St Jude patient Declynn with her mom, Jessica
St. Jude patient Declynn with her mom, Jessica
Now that Declynn is more than halfway through her approximately two-and-a-half-year treatment plan, she is back to being herself again, with a head full of blond hair.
She takes her medicine like a champ. Anytime she sees the St. Jude symbol, she says, ‘My doctor, that’s my doctor.'
- Jessica, Declynn's mom
Still, life is not the same.
“Working for yourself, you tend to overwork. Things like this really change where you want to be and what you want to be spending your time doing,” said Declynn’s dad, Danny. "Family is number one. I can’t imagine if we were somewhere that medical bills were racking up and having to constantly think about what’s more important — spending the time or keep pushing to make more money."
Families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food.
St. Jude patient Declynn with her dad, Danny
St. Jude patient Declynn with her parents
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