Jazzy is the youngest of three and the only girl. She’s the apple of her family’s eye. Before she was diagnosed with cancer, Jazzy was a blur of motion, always running and jumping and playing.
“She loves the trampoline and playing dodgeball with her cousins,” said her mom, Mykel. “And she loves going to the beach with her dogs.”
St. Jude patient Jazzy with her mom, Mykel
In late 2018, Jazzy started to throw up and began to lose her balance. Her parents took her to the pediatrician, who sent Jazzy for an MRI.
“When the doctor told us there was a mass on her brain, that Jazzy had cancer, we felt like the rug was pulled out from under us,” Mykel said. “It was devastating.”
Families 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.
At St. Jude, Jazzy’s treatment included 30 rounds of proton therapy and four rounds of chemotherapy.
“At St. Jude, we hit the ground running. We love Jazzy’s nurses and the staff here. Her doctor is brilliant,” Mykel said.
Jazzy painting at a St. Jude art party.
Jazzy loves school and her favorite subject is math. She enjoys making crafts and slime, and she likes to dance and read. Jazzy is now finished with treatment and returns to St. Jude for regular checkups.
“They made everything worry-free, so we could just focus on Jazzy.”
Meet more patients
-
Meet Micah
Micah was referred to St. Jude for treatment after a brain tumor was discovered during an emergency room visit prompted by persistent headaches and nausea.
-
Meet Rylee
When Rylee was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, she was referred to St. Jude for treatment. She received chemotherapy and had surgery to remove the tumor. Amidst these challenges, the family found hope at St. Jude.
-
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.