When Jaxon Hindman fell to the floor during a dodgeball game at school last year, he lost consciousness for an instant. Then he brushed himself off and returned to class.
“My head was really hurting afterward,” Jaxon recalls.
Throughout the day, the pain increased. “When I went to lunch, all the noise and commotion made it hurt a lot worse.”
Cresta Hindman, a nurse, suspected her son had a concussion. She and her husband were shocked when tests revealed a brain tumor called medulloblastoma.
Ironically, the dodgeball accident may have saved Jaxon’s life, because it led to an early diagnosis.
“We say that ball was God’s divine intervention, because the ball was lightweight and should never have knocked him down,” Cresta says.
Jaxon’s teachers and principal signed the ball and delivered it to him during his treatment.
Now 13 years old, Jaxon returns to St. Jude for regular checkups. He is back to playing basketball and hopes one day to work at St. Jude.
Reprinted from Promise, Summer 2015
More articles from this issue
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Ewing Sarcoma: Changing Hues
A spectrum of discoveries in St. Jude labs and clinics offer promise for patients with Ewing sarcoma.
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Ten Fingers Ten Toes
St. Jude scientists’ discoveries offer hope for some of the tiniest and most vulnerable patients—babies with a rare and aggressive form of leukemia.
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Leaving the Nest
The St. Jude Endocrine Clinic helps families gain the confidence and knowledge they need to spread their wings.
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Source Code
St. Jude scientists discover the genetic basis of the side effects that sometimes accompany cancer treatment.
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Sifting Needles from Haystacks
First, St. Jude pioneered a test that could pinpoint one leukemia cell among 10,000 normal cells. Now that test is helping guide therapy—with spectacular results.
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Melanoma: Signs and Subtypes
For decades, the genetic basis of pediatric melanoma was a mystery. But St. Jude scientists recently discovered the molecular signatures of three pediatric melanoma subtypes.
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Racing to Save Lives
The sale of one rare and beautiful car will benefit children undergoing treatment for life-threatening diseases.
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Connecting to St. Jude at Work
stjudeatwork.org helps companies who want to include St. Jude in their workplace giving programs.
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Research Highlights
Read recent highlights from St. Jude, including honors and awards, therapies for defects of brain tumor mutations, and the importance of reducing glucocorticoid resistance.
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The Beauty of Giving
"Any little thing I can do to help a child is a beautiful gift,” says supermodel and actress Lily Aldridge.
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Hope Through Change
The Ependymoma Awareness Day celebration symbolized hope through change with a release of butterflies.
