Ukrainian girl celebrates milestone at St. Jude

One March day in 2025, Diana’s parents sat across from the doctor, not knowing what to expect. Then came words they had hoped to hear: their daughter’s brain scans showed the tumors were responding to treatment.

“We were very happy about it,” recalled her mom, Natalia. “The doctor showed us the scans right there in the clinic. It was such an exciting moment.” 

Diana is finishing treatment at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital® in Memphis, Tennessee, and her parents are preparing for their return home to Ukraine in the summer of 2025. Natalia said their extended family is awaiting them with open arms. They will likely celebrate their homecoming with family and a good meal. 

“She is looking forward to going home, she has missed her friends very much, so she’s very happy she will be going home and seeing everybody,” said Natalia “We all look forward to seeing our family.” 

Diana, 10, has also been missing some of her favorite traditional foods from Ukraine, including borscht, a beet soup, and varenyky, dumplings stuffed with mashed potatoes and served with sour cream. Diana also craves the candies and cookies that can only be found in Ukraine. 

Diana was diagnosed with cancer when she was 6 years old.  

The diagnosis came after the little girl, who was taking dance lessons, had been experiencing back and leg pain in her right leg. Her right leg became weaker, and eventually Diana couldn’t move her toes. Her mom and dad, Taras, took her to see a doctor near their home in western Ukraine. An MRI later revealed a tumor in her spine, Natalia recalled. Diana underwent surgery but getting results took longer than anticipated.

While the family waited, Ukraine was invaded by Russia, forcing the family’s evacuation from the European nation. The family first went to Poland before Diana and her parents and brother arrived at St. Jude in March of 2022.  

St. Jude Global, in partnership with numerous international organizations and ALSAC, the fundraising and awareness organization for St. Jude, worked to aid safe passage and uninterrupted care for Ukrainian children with cancer and blood disorders. The global initiative, known as SAFER (Supporting Action for Emergency Response) Ukraine, has assisted more than 1,500 children and their families, while also working to strengthen cancer care in Ukraine.

“Because of everything that was happening in Ukraine, she was not able to get treatment in Ukraine, so coming here to this hospital was like a miracle,” Natalia said.  

Natalia said she had never heard of St. Jude prior to Diana getting sick. She said she didn’t know what to expect. She also missed and worried about her family back home. 

“It was hard because our family was in Ukraine, and it was very scary, but we saw that we are in good hands here,” she said.  

At St. Jude, Diana’s cancer was found to be Wilms tumor, which is the most common type of kidney tumor in children, but Diana’s tumor was in her spine. It is extremely rare for Wilms tumor to start outside the kidneys and on the spine like Diana’s did.  Her treatment included chemotherapy and radiation therapy.  She finished treatment and returned home to Ukraine in 2023. She received regular checkups at a local hospital. But in August of 2024, tumors were found in her brain during a checkup, and the family returned to St. Jude. Diana received more chemotherapy and radiation therapy. She finished treatment in July 2025.

“She’s doing really good,” her mom said.  

 Natalia said she’s grateful for St. Jude. 

“It’s hard to find the words to describe my pleasure to be here, and all they are doing and did for us,” she said. “I have all kinds of support. Every day, I have good emotions at this hospital.” 

Natalia said she also never expected all that St. Jude offered other than treatment. Families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food.

“Everything that they provided was surprising — housing, and the second-floor family area [Family Commons] was nice, and the school and all the treatment,” she said.  

Diana attended classes at the St. Jude Imagine Academy by Chili’s school program, which helps patients continue their education while undergoing treatment. 

Diana also enjoyed her time interacting with the research hospital’s facility dogs while in class, her mom said.  St. Jude facility dogs are specially trained to help reduce stress and anxiety through animal-assisted therapy. Diana is now asking her mom for a dog, preferably a golden retriever like the facility dogs. 

“I think it might be too big for our home, so we will have to look at something smaller,” her mom said. 

Diana, who was named after Princess Diana, the Princess of Wales, will start 5th grade in the fall of 2025, and is excited about being able to resume swimming back home. Her mom describes Diana as outgoing, brave and strong and a caregiver to her brother. She’s also a girl who easily makes friends. At St. Jude, she has learned English and has picked up painting as one of her hobbies. 

“She loves St. Jude, and I think she will miss it. She will not miss the treatment, but St. Jude, it’s like a family for us,” Natalia said. “We have received support and care here, and we are happy to be part of St. Jude.”