Ay'Den is a gentle kid with a ready smile – "a sweetheart," his mother would say – who loves to color, run around with the dogs and play video games.
One day, seven-year-old Ay’Den fell at school and everything changed.
He hadn't been feeling well that morning but went to school anyway. He collapsed and his mother was called to pick him up.
Ay'Den's mom took him to their local doctor and blood tests revealed that his white blood cell count was very high.
That’s when Ay’Den and his mom heard the news: Ay’Den was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia.
St. Jude patient Ay'Den with his mom
Ay’Den was quickly referred to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, where he began receiving chemotherapy to try to save his life.
Families, like Ay'Den's, will never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food.
Sharvae, Ay'Den's mom, was surprised to find out how much St. Jude does for families.
Seeing her child through cancer during a pandemic was more than difficult, but St. Jude gave her renewed hope.
St. Jude made us comfortable. I don’t know what I would have done without them.
— Sharvae, Ay'Den's mom
Ay’Den has now successfully finished cancer treatment.
September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month
We won’t stop until no child dies from cancer. With your support, we’ll be one step closer to that day. Join St. Jude in recognizing Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Let’s cure childhood cancer. Together.
Meet more patients
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Meet Ava
Five-year-old Ava had a cancerous brain tumor called medulloblastoma. Referred to St. Jude, she underwent a second surgery, proton therapy and chemotherapy.
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Meet Eri'Elle
Eri’Elle was just two years old when her troubles started. Her mother took her to a pediatrician and insisted they run tests to get to the bottom of her baby’s symptoms.
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Meet Luna
When St. Jude patient Luna started to feel sick, her parents became concerned. Doctors in Guatemala confirmed what her parents had feared: Luna had leukemia.
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Meet Nova
Though Nova's eye cancer is aggressive and she is being treated for a second time, her parents know the doctors at St. Jude will stop at nothing to help their baby girl live.
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Meet Patient Lucas
Around Thanksgiving of 2020, three-year-old Lucas was complaining of headaches. His parents thought he just wanted attention. An MRI indicated something more serious.
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Meet Sariyah
In the summer of 2020, photos taken of St. Jude patient Sariyah by her mother showed signs of cancerous tumors in both eyes at the age of 18 months.