When Hadley started getting sick more frequently, her parents chalked it up to having recently started daycare.
Her doctor did some bloodwork, and within fifteen minutes they had a referral and would be going to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee.
Hadley had acute myeloid leukemia, a type of blood cancer.
![Patient hadley against a white background](/content/sites/www/en_US/home/about-st-jude/stories/meet-our-patients/meet-hadley/jcr:content/par-1/cnt_image_copy_copy.img.16.medium.jpg/1592603297181.jpg)
"As a 2-year-old, your child should have problems that you can still fix," said Hadley's mother, Brittany. "You should be putting Band-Aids on scraped knees and kissing boo-boos and wiping tears over silly things, not cancer."
Although it was terrifying, St. Jude was a nearly immediate comfort to the family.
![Patient Devon](/content/sites/www/en_US/home/about-st-jude/stories/meet-our-patients/meet-hadley/jcr:content/par-1/cnt_image_copy_copy__38158938.img.16.medium.jpg/1592603375690.jpg)
You’d think it would be a bunch of sad people and just a terrible place to be, but that’s not what it’s like here.
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St. Jude has helped push the childhood cancer survival rate from 20% when we opened to 80% today. We won’t stop until no child dies from cancer.
Hadley was placed on chemotherapy, and turned 3 years old during treatment. But despite this difficult undertaking, Hadley’s maintained a brave outlook.
I can't tell you how many times she's caught me crying and told me, ‘Mom, don't worry, it's going to be okay.’
![patient hadley with her mom](/content/sites/www/en_US/home/about-st-jude/stories/meet-our-patients/meet-hadley/jcr:content/par-1/cnt_image_copy_copy_.img.16.medium.jpg/1592602963643.jpg)
Hadley is a chatty tot and “a little firecracker,” according to her dad.
She loves music, animals, colors, and singing and dancing. She also loves the beach.
![candid photo of patient hadley with her dirt bike](/content/sites/www/en_US/home/about-st-jude/stories/meet-our-patients/meet-hadley/jcr:content/par-1/cnt_image_copy_copy__1193776588.img.16.medium.jpg/1592603816803.jpg)
She recently “graduated preschool” and picked up a new hobby: dirt bikes.
“My heart stops when she rides it, but she does love it!” says her mom. “I mean, YOLO, right?”
![candid photo of patient hadley with her dirt bike](/content/sites/www/en_US/home/about-st-jude/stories/meet-our-patients/meet-hadley/jcr:content/par-1/cnt_image_copy_copy__324428738.img.16.medium.jpg/1592602732879.jpg)
As of June 2020, Hadley has been in remission for two years.
When they look back on this difficult time, Hadley’s parents will remember St. Jude as a special place.
These halls are filled with more hope than I could ever describe.
Meet more patients
![Hadley with her parents and doctor](/content/sites/www/en_US/home/about-st-jude/stories/meet-our-patients/meet-hadley/jcr:content/par-1/cnt_wrapper_1476409286/par-1/cnt_image_copy_copy_.img.16.medium.jpg/1563985144522.jpg)
Hadley with her parents
![St. Jude patient Hadley](/content/sites/www/en_US/home/about-st-jude/stories/meet-our-patients/meet-hadley/jcr:content/par-1/cnt_image_copy_copy_503787653.img.16.medium.jpg/1563985142932.jpg)