Twirls, dresses and dancing: A toddler’s journey through cancer at St. Jude

Cailee’s nails are almost always painted pink — a reflection of her love for makeup and all things pink.  Every day she selects a dress to wear, favoring those which flare out and look pretty when she twirls. When Cailee hears a music beat, whether it be soulful blues or a sing-song nursery rhyme, her feet start moving to the rhythm. 

Cailee’s joyful spirit never wanes, which has been a source of comfort for her family through one of the hardest times of their lives. 

“She’s an uplifter. We could be having the worst day, and this goes for anyone in my family, and all it takes is seeing Cailee, because she brightens everything,” her mom, Brittany said. “Cailee is sweet and soft, the one everyone runs to and wants to carry.”

Cailee was almost two years old when her mom noticed that after her little girl ate, a large knot appeared on her belly. At first, she thought it was because Cailee was full, but one night, when Cailee was laying down, it seemed like a kneecap was poking out of her body.  

“You didn’t see it all the time, it was only after a full meal or when she ate a lot of food and her stomach would get so very hard and so bulgy that you had no other choice but to see it,” Brittany said.

But a few weeks later, Brittany’s grandmother noticed the bulge during a party and became alarmed.  

“She said to me ‘You need to have her checked because her stomach is too hard,’” Brittany recalled. 

The next day Brittany took Cailee to a nearby emergency room in Tennessee. Cailee was referred to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital®, where she was diagnosed with a kidney tumor in January 2025. 

“I immediately broke into tears and called my relatives,” Brittany recalled.

At St. Jude, the tumor was identified as Wilms tumor, the most common type of kidney cancer in children. Doctors found metastatic spread of her disease in her liver and lung. Her treatment has included chemotherapy, removal of her left kidney and proton beam radiotherapy. She remains in treatment. 

Brittany said she spent much of the first few weeks of treatment crying. 

“When I saw her get her first chemo treatment, I was emotional. I cried each time we came into the clinic and after her surgery,” she said. “Everything that happened in the beginning I cried about.” 

Brittany was raised in Tennessee and had heard of St. Jude but had never visited the hospital. She said Cailee’s care team has made her feel comfortable and slowly her tears became less frequent.

“St. Jude means a lot to me. They are my help,” she said. “They were the hope for me.” 

Cailee enjoys her time at St. Jude, and is almost always with her older sister, Carli, 4, who is also her best friend. One of their favorite places at St. Jude is Family Commons, a treatment-free zone designed specifically for St. Jude patients and families. There, Cailee and Carli like to slide down the slide and get creative with watercolors. She likes to paint flowers and butterflies. 

Cailee is also known to carry two baby dolls with her regularly, sometimes in her arms, or pushing them in a stroller. 

“She’s so sweet, and she comforts the babies,” Brittany said. “If you say they are crying, she will begin to rock them.” 

Cailee is scheduled to finish treatment by the end of 2025, her mom said. Brittany hopes to celebrate the end of treatment with something special  — maybe a big party with music filled with the things Cailee loves most, like nail painting and twirly dresses.  It will be a moment to honor her bravery and joy and let her shine.