Mayela recently returned from “the best trip” of her life in the Dominican Republic, where she created lasting memories with her mom and dad before she started another school year.
“I’m happy,” said Mayela, 11, who is in sixth grade. “I have great parents who support me in all I do, and physically, I am doing really well.”
In 2018, Mayela was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia, or AML. In AML, white blood cells, produced in bone marrow, are abnormal and do not become healthy cells. These abnormal cells crowd out the normal ones so that the patient’s body has a harder time fighting off infection.
It was heartbreaking news. I like to solve everything, but at that moment, it was not in my hands. I could not resolve this situation for my daughter.
Angel, Mayela's dad
Doctors in Puerto Rico referred Mayela to St. Jude where she underwent a bone marrow transplant in August 2018, with her dad serving as her donor. Her parents are thankful for the treatment and care she received.
“I was full of joy and emotion, and grateful for St. Jude,” Angel said about being his daughter’s donor.
St. Jude is leading the way the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. We won't stop until no child dies from cancer.
Mayela finished treatment and now visits St. Jude regularly for checkups. Meanwhile, at home, she keeps busy improving her swimming and her aim in air gun shooting, a sport she recently picked up.
Mayela has also become a small business owner. She makes colorful bracelets with hearts, faces and other shapes, and creates her own soaps with a variety of scents like lavender, oatmeal and honey.
“Everything that Mayela does reminds us how blessed we are,” her mother, Karen, said.
Meet more patients
-
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 Pablo Jose
Pablo Jose was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in 2021 at the age of 5 in his homeland of Guatemala. ALL is the most common type of childhood cancer.
-
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 Hayden
Hayden is back in Jamaica after eye cancer treatment, but he often asks his parents when they will go “home” to St. Jude where he received medical care.
-
Meet Valentina
When she was 3 years old, Valentina was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Doctors immediately referred Valentina to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital® and her parents instantly felt their daughter was going to get the best treatment.
-
Meet Camila
Camila was diagnosed three days before her 3rd birthday with a solid cancerous tumor of the kidney. Read her story.
-
Meet Delta
Delta is a daddy's girl, and everybody knows it. But Delta and her daddy, Hayden, have often been separated while she has been receiving treatment at St. Jude for acute lymphoblastic leukemia, hours away from their home and his job.
-
Meet McClain
McClain was found to have cancer even before she was born, when an ultrasound at 36 weeks showed a mass on her adrenal gland. The diagnosis was neuroblastoma.
-
Meet Hunter
Hunter was diagnosed with osteosarcoma and was immediately referred to St. Jude. Hunter has chosen to face adversity with good humor and determination.
-
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 Beckett
Even at 2 years old, Beckett was a very verbal child, able to describe how he felt. And how he felt was dizzy. He was also sick to his stomach from time to time, and had developed a head tilt. Beckett was ultimately diagnosed with ATRT, an aggressive form of brain cancer. From that moment on, said his dad, it was “game face.”
-
Meet Mila
Mila was found to have both Down Syndrome and a leukemia precursor. She underwent months of chemotherapy at St. Jude for acute myeloid leukemia, but even on days she didn’t feel great, she was smiling and playing.
-
Meet Liliana
Liliana is a patient at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital where she was treated for liver cancer at 8 years old.
-
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.