Corbin, rhabdomyosarcoma/osteosarcoma/Hodgkin lymphoma/acute myeloid leukemia
Corbin loved music. It’s one way he expressed himself, even as he battled cancer repeatedly — four times he was diagnosed, and four times treated at St. Jude. “It’s the best place,” as he put it in song, “that you never wanted to be.”
Corbin was creative, compassionate and made every day count. Before passing away at 18, he made the most of his limited time, enrolling in college and working in the field of law, his dream career. “He said he didn’t know how many days he had left,” his mom, Heather, said, “but he would live them with purpose.”
St. Jude patient Corbin with his mother, Heather
Brady, atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumor (ATRT)
At St. Jude, Brady underwent treatment for a rare brain cancer called ATRT. He passed away in 2012.
“I’m so passionate about St. Jude,” said Brady’s mom, Katy. “They gave my family the invaluable gift of more time. We’re forever grateful for this priceless gift.”
Among Katy’s favorite memories of their time at St. Jude is when Brady and his brother Andrew danced to music at the juke box on the second floor of the hospital, and the times they played together at the Target House playground. “Brady was a ball of fire,” said Katy. “He was a friend to everyone.”
Mother Katy holds a picture of St. Jude patient Brady
Arianna, atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumor (ATRT)
Shortly after Arianna’s third birthday, she was found to suffer from a rare cancerous tumor called an atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumor (ATRT).
The family traveled to Texas, where Arianna underwent surgery, but was given very little chance of survival. That’s when they turned to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, where Arianna underwent a second brain surgery and received 31 radiation therapy treatments and four rounds of chemotherapy.
Arianna responded well to treatment and remained cancer-free for 15 months. But in July 2011, the cancer returned. Doctors at St. Jude refused to give up, and Arianna underwent an experimental drug treatment. Unfortunately, the cancer continued to progress, and Arianna passed away in 2014, weeks before her eighth birthday.
St. Jude patient Arianna with her father, Enrique