Sebastian dreams of helping others after cancer treatment

Luis and Grace’s home buzzed with celebration. 

As the evening settled in, last-minute details came together in a rush: balloons, tables, snacks, cake. About 30 guests were expected for a birthday party that had a deep meaning for the family.  

Music wasn’t needed to set the tone. All you had to do was listen. Outside, nature filled the air with its own symphony — the chirping of crickets, the hoot of owls and the call of coquís, tiny frogs that thrive in Puerto Rico’s northern mountains. 

The joy surrounding these parents was undeniable. 

They wanted every moment to feel special and for Sebastián, their youngest son, to feel the love and pride of his loved ones.  

But when Grace thought about the real reason for the celebration, she paused. 

“Celebrating my son’s 14th birthday brings me so much happiness because if you had asked me a year ago, I never thought it would be possible,” she said, her voice breaking with emotion. 

Earlier in 2024, Sebastián’s health took a turn. 

After a fall at school, he could no longer play basketball or volleyball. He felt a lingering pain in his right shin, so his doctors ordered several tests. 

“Then the oncologist called me and said, ‘The biopsy came back positive. Your son has osteosarcoma.’ I felt like my world collapsed. I was in shock,” Grace said. “What also came to mind was, ‘How am I going to tell him — a child — that he has this condition?’” 

Osteosarcoma is the most common childhood bone cancer. 

For Luis, Sebastián’s dad, the news was just as hard to process. Several extended family members had also been diagnosed with cancer around that time. “You feel helpless,” Luis said. 

Sebastián began chemotherapy in Puerto Rico, where he was also diagnosed with Li-Fraumeni syndrome. Patients with this rare genetic disorder, related to a mutation in a gene called TP53, have an increased risk of developing one or more cancers at some point in their lives. 

When life signs you up 

When doctors realized the teenager would need limb-sparing surgery on his right leg, he was referred to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital®. He arrived in August 2024, and about a week later underwent limb-sparing surgery. Sebastian continued his chemotherapy at St. Jude while he was rehabilitating from his surgery.  

Grace and Luis traveled with their son to Memphis, Tennessee, filled with anxiety about where they would stay and what kind of care they would receive. But that fear quickly faded, Grace said. 

“When I walked into the hospital and saw the statue of St. Jude Thaddeus, I felt peace. Then, when I saw how everyone treated us — the doctors, the nurses — and how they explained every step of the protocol, I felt calm,” she said. 

They also learned that families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food, so they can focus on helping their child live. “I felt so grateful because when your child has a condition like this, you worry about finances and wonder, ‘How am I going to pay for the medicine, the recovery and everything this illness involves?’” Grace said. 

The family stayed in Memphis for eight months at The Domino’s Village, one of the housing facilities offered by St. Jude that provides apartment-style living for families while a child is undergoing care at St. Jude.  

During their stay, Luis, an amateur runner, joined the St. Jude Memphis Marathon® Weekend, a fundraising event for the hospital. He felt a powerful connection between that marathon and the long journey his family had been on since Sebastián’s diagnosis. But one difference struck him deeply: “In marathons, you sign up. When your child is diagnosed with cancer, it’s like a race (that) life signs you up for.” 

Throughout treatment, Sebastián stayed positive. When he wasn’t catching up on schoolwork at St. Jude, he spent time painting landscapes that reminded him of Puerto Rico’s countryside. 

Sebastián completed treatment for his osteosarcoma in early 2025 and is back in school in Puerto Rico. In his free time, he exercises and enjoys being with friends and family. 

“When I look into Sebastián’s eyes, I see joy, optimism, gratitude. I see a happy kid with so many goals ahead,” Grace said. 

Dreaming of helping others 

Sebastián loves animals. At home, he has four cats and two dogs that greet him every afternoon after school. 

“He’s very loving and humble, but what I love most is his honesty,” Grace said. “We have great communication, and he’s easy to love because he’s so open and sociable.” 

Reflecting on his experiences has helped Sebastián define his goals.  

When asked what he wants to study after high school, he doesn’t hesitate: “I want to be a psychologist so I can help and support other kids with cancer. I’d tell them a diagnosis doesn’t define them.” 

Sebastian explained that working with therapists throughout and after treatment gave him a clearer understanding of what the treatment process would look like. “It helped me know what was coming,” he said. 

“My dream for Sebastián is to support him in everything he sets out to do because I know he’s been through so much,” his dad said. “I’ll be there to protect him for the rest of my life.”