Not long before little Marina was found to have eye cancer, her father lost his leg in an accident.
Suddenly the household was making do on a single income.
Marina (left) with her brother
A referral to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital made all the difference for Marina and her family.
Soon they were on their way to Memphis, Tennessee, where St. Jude is located.
Families, like Marina's, will never receive a bill from St. Jude for anything.
“There's no way I could have afforded treatment otherwise,” said her mom, Janine.
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Marina was diagnosed with retinoblastoma, a type of eye cancer.
I was afraid for my daughter’s life, and I was afraid for her to be in any kind of pain.
But despite receiving systemic chemotherapy and chemotherapy injections directly to her right eye, her mom said Marina remained her cheerful, affectionate and playful self with everyone, including her St. Jude care team.
She says, ‘They love me. They take care of me.’ I said, ‘Yes, they do.’
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