Meet Pablo Jose

St. Jude patient Pablo Jose with his father, Edgar

Pablo Jose's story

Pablo Jose is an active boy and, recently, his father, Edgar, watched in amazement as he pushed on one leg to make his scooter go faster. Not long ago his son was in a wheelchair due to a cancer relapse.

“I’m beginning to see the boy he was. He’s running and jumping.”

St. Jude patient Pablo Jose's father, Edgar

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.

St. Jude patient, Pablo Jose

St. Jude patient, Pablo Jose, getting a kiss from his mother

Pablo Jose received chemotherapy treatment in Guatemala and responded to the treatment. But after 18 months, he began to experience fevers and the same body pain he had felt before his initial diagnosis. The monthly chemo sessions were suspended, and further tests revealed the leukemia had returned. Doctors in Guatemala told Pablo Jose’s parents that they could only offer him palliative care.

“It was very hard,” Edgar said.

Read More About St. Jude Research

St. Jude patient, Pablo Jose with his family

Families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food — so they can focus on helping their child live.

St. Jude patient Pablo Jose with his sister

Pablo Jose’s parents requested other options from Guatemalan doctors who then referred him to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital®, where he could receive a bone marrow transplant.

"We said if that is what needs to be done then let’s do it," said Edgar.

Edgar and his son flew to St. Jude in May 2023. At St. Jude, Pablo Jose received chemotherapy, then radiation therapy, and in August he received a bone marrow transplant. His sister, Valeria, who flew to Memphis in July with their mom, served as his donor. Pablo Jose is in Memphis being monitored post-transplant.

For me, St. Jude is another world,” Edgar said. “It is the best in every sense of the word, not only the people who work at St. Jude but the medicine they offer.

St. Jude patient Pablo Jose's father, Edgar