Carlos had always been an active kid who enjoyed jumping, climbing and running. So when he stopped doing those activities altogether, his parents became concerned, eventually leading to a diagnosis of neuroblastoma.

Nadia took to her personal circle, sharing information and requesting it. She called her sister-in-law who works at a hospital, and her friend who’s a doctor.

“We got his blood work back, and I started Googling and to Luis, I'm like, ‘I think our kid has cancer.’ And he was like, ‘Get off of Google. Google's not your friend when you're sick.’”

When the doctors came back in, they had still more doctors with them. There were some spots showing up in Carlos’s lungs. He would be admitted to the ICU and referred to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Family members traveled in to help with the other kids, and Carlos arrived at St. Jude in late May. Now there was an answer – a scary one. He had stage 4 neuroblastoma, with tumors in his lungs and his bones.

But treatments invented at St. Jude have helped push the overall childhood cancer survival rate from 20% to more than 80% since it opened in 1962. His treatment has included antibody therapy, chemotherapy, surgery, a stem cell transplant and radiation therapy.

And, Carlos has made strides in eye contact and affect while at St. Jude. His likes his doctor, because she lets him play with her stethoscope. He likes his nurses, and even gave one a high-five – something his parents had never seen him do before. He also loves Bingo Night in St. Jude housing, said Nadia, “and I think that's pretty neat.”

Carlos also likes lights, colors, music, blocks, the Rubik’s cube and sorting things by color and shape. He enjoys organizing everything from his mom’s pantry to messes made by his little brother.