Natalie appears in a St. Jude commercial, with her mother recounting her daughter's St. Jude story.
Natalie, the youngest of five, seemed like a perfectly healthy toddler. But one day, she stopped using her left arm. Her parents were expecting a call back from the pediatric orthopedist when Natalie took a tumble directly onto that arm and was inconsolable.
“When they admitted us to the hospital that night, we actually thought that we were doing some bone scans to check for mineral deficiency,” said her mom, Nicole. “Cancer was never on our radar.”
St. Jude patient Natalie with her parents
Yet cancer was all throughout Natalie’s body: both arms, both wrists, her pelvis, legs, spine, skull and bone marrow. She had neuroblastoma, a cancer arising from nerve cells, and it was high-risk and Stage IV.
We thought we were losing our daughter. And then, when we came to St. Jude, everything changed. At St. Jude, there was hope.
- Natalie's mother, Nicole
Families, like Natalie's, will never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food — so they can focus on helping their child live.
At St. Jude, Natalie has received chemotherapy, antibody therapy, surgery, two stem cell transplants using her own cells and radiation therapy.
“It’s a hard, painful treatment,” said her dad, Andrew.
Natalie’s recent scans indicate she needs still more treatment before she can be declared cancer free.
St. Jude patient Natalie with her mom
Natalie continues to grow into an active, outgoing and opinionated little girl.
"She has a huge personality. She will walk down the halls of St. Jude ahead of her wagon. She will wave her little finger in your face with a lot of sass. She will tell you how she feels. And nothing will get in her way,” said Nicole.
I mean, there's nothing that Natalie can't do.
- Nicole, Natalie's mother
Meet more patients
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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 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 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 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 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.
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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.