Meet Hender

Hender was treated for rhabdomyosarcoma, a soft tissue cancer, when he was 6 years old. Now thriving, he hopes to become a doctor and help children facing cancer.

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St. Jude patient Hender

St Jude patient Hender (right) with his family in 2015

Hender's story

Hender is an excellent student who also enjoys staying active and practicing martial arts.

He is the second of three siblings and grew up in a happy, close-knit family, surrounded by his parents and grandparents.

When Hender was 6 years old, an MRI revealed a suspicious lesion. His doctors referred him to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, where he was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma, a type of cancerous tumor that develops in soft tissue.

St Jude patient Hender with his brother

St. Jude patient Hender standing and smiling with his hands in his pockets. — St. Jude patient Hender

At St. Jude, Hender was treated on a clinical trial protocol that included chemotherapy and proton beam radiotherapy.

You (could) never imagine that a child so young, so innocent, could go through something like this. And even though he was very sick, the care he received from the staff at St. Jude helped him pull through.

- Rubiana, Hender's mom

Where is Hender now?

Hender completed treatment in 2016 and returns to St. Jude each year for follow-up visits in the After Completion of Therapy Clinic. He is also part of St. Jude LIFE Study, a cohort study that helps researchers understand the late outcomes of long-term childhood cancer survivors.