Miguel, or “Mikey,” as his mom calls him, was a reserved little boy when he first arrived at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. But now, with the encouraging way staff members have cared for him, he has blossomed into a trusting, outgoing toddler, stealing hearts at every turn.
![Patient Miguel walks with his mom](/content/sites/www/en_US/home/about-st-jude/stories/meet-our-patients/meet-miguel/jcr:content/par-1/cnt_image_copy_copy_.img.16.medium.jpg/1617314516540.jpg)
When Mikey was a baby, photos showed a glare in his eyes. When he was 5 months old, doctors in Mexico found the cause – he had bilateral retinoblastoma, cancerous tumors in both of his eyes.
His family discovered St. Jude online and obtained a referral. His mom, Liliana, didn’t know much about St. Jude before their arrival, but the leap of faith paid off.
In Mexico, the treatment would have been to remove both of Mikey’s eyes; at St. Jude, his doctors were able to give his family hope for his vision.
![Patient Miguel at his first birthday party](/content/sites/www/en_US/home/about-st-jude/stories/meet-our-patients/meet-miguel/jcr:content/par-1/cnt_row_copy_copy_co/par-1/cnt_column/par-1/cnt_image.img.16.medium.jpg/1576017310348.jpg)
Liliana was worried about how to pay for everything since she would be away from work during Mikey’s lengthy treatment. But, to her relief, she learned families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food, because all they should worry about is helping their child live.
![St. Jude patient Miguel hugging his mom](/content/sites/www/en_US/home/about-st-jude/stories/meet-our-patients/meet-miguel/jcr:content/par-1/cnt_image_copy_copy__266831420.img.16.medium.jpg/1576017398829.jpg)
St. Jude doctors fought to save both of Mikey’s eyes as well as his health, with a combination of chemotherapy, laser treatment and cryotherapy. He also received physical, occupational and speech therapies to help him meet his milestones.
Thanks to the treatment Mikey received at St. Jude, his vision was saved in one of his eyes.
![patient miguel being pushed by his mom in a stroller](/content/sites/www/en_US/home/about-st-jude/stories/meet-our-patients/meet-miguel/jcr:content/par-1/cnt_image_copy.img.16.medium.jpg/1617314499662.jpg)
Soon, he will be able to return home. St. Jude will continue to see Mikey for checkups.
To those who support St. Jude, Liliana says, “I don’t know what we would have done without St. Jude and the support of people like you.”
Meet more patients
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Meet Brayden
Brayden received chemotherapy as well as proton therapy for medulloblastoma at the first proton therapy center in the world dedicated solely to children.
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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.”
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Meet Rinoa
Rinoa had an MRI due to headaches and, later, double vision. Doctors found a cancerous brain tumor called medulloblastoma and was soon referred to St. Jude.
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Meet Adalyn
Adalyn had stomachaches that came and went with episodes of severe pain. At the ER, doctors found a large mass above her kidney, stage-4 high-risk neuroblastoma.
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Meet Avyan
Avyan carries himself with confidence and strength beyond his years. His manner has given fortitude to his family as they walk through an unimaginable reality.
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Meet Aspen
Aspen was not yet two when diagnosed with neuroblastoma. She was treated in the Philippines but six months later, the cancer was spreading so she was referred to St. Jude.
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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.
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Meet Abraham
After a CT scan revealed Abraham had a mass on his brain, identified as a cancerous brain tumor called a medulloblastoma, his family turned to St. Jude for help.
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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.
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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.