As a baby, Aubrey met her milestones — walking, talking — on time. When she was 3 years old, her parents enrolled her in her first dance lessons. Aubrey quickly fell in love.
“We thought she’d go to dance until it was time for her to start t-ball or soccer,” said her mom, Melinda. “But from the start, it was always dance.”
Before a diagnosis of Medulloblastoma, St. Jude patient Aubrey was a competitive dancer.
It made her happy. Aubrey lit up whenever she was on stage.
When she was on stage, Aubrey was transported to another place, her eyes sparkling as brightly as the sequins sewn into her dance costumes.
Aubrey practiced 10 hours a week and danced on a competitive team, always eager to learn new types of dance. She loved it all — musical theater, ballet and tap.
St. Jude patient Aubrey with her mom, Melinda
But in June 2017, Aubrey began to have difficulty during practice. “We noticed she wasn’t spotting her turns like she used to,” Melinda said. “She wasn’t picking up her dance routines as quickly and she was having problems remembering her steps.”
Aubrey began to throw up almost daily and her eyes started to cross. She was in and out of doctor offices, but no one could pinpoint what was wrong. Tests soon revealed Aubrey had a rare, cancerous brain tumor called a medulloblastoma.
At St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Aubrey’s treatment included chemotherapy, radiation therapy and proton therapy. She also had physical and occupation therapies, which helped her focus on regaining her balance and stamina.
Near the end of her treatment, Aubrey’s Child Life specialist learned a St. Jude photographer wanted to take photos of a patient who danced on the stage of Memphis’ historic Orpheum Theater, with its backdrop of glittering chandeliers and majestic red velvet curtains. Aubrey was the first patient she thought of for those photos.
Not long after, Aubrey grasped the handrail in the historic theater and took her first steps back onstage.
“Aubrey is brave and beautiful,” Melinda said. “Seeing her on stage felt like coming home, it felt like life getting back to normal.”
Since that photo shoot on stage in Memphis, Tenn. Aubrey has completed treatment and now visits St. Jude for regular checkups. She’s back to taking dance classes, attending school and hanging out with her friends. She also had the opportunity to see a ballet on stage in New York City, fueling her dreams for the future.
Help our families focus on their sick child, not medical bills.
When you donate monthly, your gift means families, like Aubrey's, never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food — because all a family should worry about is helping their child live.
Meet more patients
-
Meet Alejandro
Ines and Alejandro think of their son Alejandro every day. Their active and curious boy would have been near adulthood by now. They honor his memory through their commitment to St. Jude. Read more here.
-
Meet Camila
Camila was diagnosed three days before her 3rd birthday with a solid cancerous tumor of the kidney. Read her story.
-
Meet Avery
Avery was diagnosed with sickle cell disease soon after birth and she received a bone marrow transplant at St. Jude in early 2023. Her donor was one of her older sisters.
-
Meet Misheel
Misheel was diagnosed with brain cancer and was referred to St. Jude, where she has received treatment, which included chemotherapy and radiation therapy. She has refused to let her illness keep her from spreading joy to others.
-
Meet Janelle
When Janelle was just over a year old, her family noticed that she began to regress in her development. Medical tests revealed that Janelle had cancer.
-
Meet Yazleemar
Yazleemar is an outgoing and expressive teenager. In 2012, Yazleemar was diagnosed with retinoblastoma, a rare cancer. St. Jude offered more than treatment to her and her family.
-
Meet Gideon
After Gideon was diagnosed with stage 4 neuroblastoma, he was referred to St. Jude for immediate treatment.
-
Meet Felicity
With a diagnosis of 5 tumors in her brain and spine, Felicity is facing a struggle, but you wouldn't know it by the constant smile on her face.
-
Meet Charlie
Diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma in his shoulder, Charlie was referred to St. Jude then underwent chemotherapy and surgery to replace a cancerous bone with titanium.
-
Meet Ava
At 6 years old, Ava had a lump on her neck and tests showed she had more lumps in her belly. Tests revealed that she had a cancerous tumor and was referred to St. Jude.
-
Meet Kamryn
At 2 years old, Kamryn's bloodwork indicated he had a form of blood cancer called acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Doctors referred him to St. Jude where he would undergo more than 2 years of chemotherapy while growing to love activities like Music Therapy.
-
Meet Luxe
As a kindergartener, Luxe’s legs became so covered in bruises that her parents took her to the doctor. Luxe was diagnosed with severe aplastic anemia.
-
Meet Eliza
Eliza’s pediatrician referred her to an ophthalmologist after testing her eyes. In turn, she was referred to St. Jude as a tumor was visible in her right eye.
-
Meet Rinoa
Rinoa had an MRI due to headaches and, later, double vision. Doctors found a cancerous brain tumor called medulloblastoma and was soon referred to St. Jude.
-
Meet Adalyn
Adalyn had stomachaches that came and went with episodes of severe pain. At the ER, doctors found a large mass above her kidney, stage-4 high-risk neuroblastoma.